OAK TREE : New York Still a Rotten Apple for Breeders’ Cup

New York has been host to three of the first 12 Breeders’ Cups. Enough is enough.

The weather has been dreary on two occasions and the 1990 Breeders’ Cup will always be remembered as one of racing’s saddest days. Two horses were killed in the Sprint and the champion filly Go For Wand suffered fatal injuries while battling Bayakoa, another champion, through the stretch of the Distaff.

Plus, why reward a state that doesn’t support the sport’s biggest day?

Three of the four lowest Breeders’ Cup attendance figures have been recorded at Aqueduct and Belmont Park. The best-attended Cup in New York was at Belmont (51,342) in 1990, but Hollywood Park (twice), Santa Anita (twice), Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs (three times) have all exceeded that figure.

In the two days before the Breeders’ Cup, the races were given little, if any, mention on television. The morning of the Cup, one broadcaster said Belmont Park was playing host to the Belmont Stakes that day.

Although the track was in good shape Saturday, there is no doubt that some horses couldn’t handle the surface. Serena’s Song, the nation’s best 3-year-old filly, was the best example.

Even though she didn’t figure to beat the entry of Inside Information and Heavenly Prize, there is no way the former is some 19 lengths better than Serena’s Song. There is also no way Forested, who wound up fourth, two lengths ahead of Serena’s Song, should ever finish in front of trainer Wayne Lukas’ filly.

Other horses were definitely compromised by the surface. That goes for the soggy turf course as well.

It was nearly impossible to make up ground on the grass, where the Mile was run more than 11 seconds slower than the Belmont Park course record and the Turf was almost 18 seconds off.

The NFL does everything it can to see that the Super Bowl is played in the best possible conditions, so why can’t racing do the same?

Weather could be a problem at Woodbine in Toronto next year, but the feeling is the area will support the event much better than New York did. That wouldn’t be hard to do.

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Some other thoughts on Breeders’ Cup XII:

--Golden Attraction, another horse who didn’t care for the track Saturday, still deserves to win the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top 2-year-old filly. She beat My Flag, Saturday’s winner, in three of their four meetings and has six wins in eight starts overall, including five stakes wins.

--If Desert Stormer hadn’t been in the mutuel field, she might have approached Arcangues as the biggest longshot winner in Breeders’ Cup history. Arcangues paid $269.20 when he won the 1993 Classic.

--One of the most ridiculous things written in the aftermath of the Distaff was that Heavenly Prize “ran another superb race.” Hello? After being far back early, all Inside Information’s entrymate did was pass a bunch of exhausted fillies and mares and finish second, 13 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Take Inside Information out of the Distaff and Lakeway, who finished third, would have won.

--Whether Fastness would have beaten Ridgewood Pearl on firm turf is something that no one knows for sure, but the fact is the 5-year-old gray ran second, seven lengths ahead of the rest of the field, on a course he couldn’t handle.

--Unbridled’s Song was impressive taking the Juvenile, but it’s hard to imagine the colt living up to owner Ernie Paragallo’s prediction of a Triple Crown sweep.

--Northern Spur was about as tired as a horse can be after winning the Turf and deserves a long rest. Chris McCarron rode a flawless race and Northern Spur showed a lot of gameness holding off Freedom Cry through the stretch.

--What more can be said about Cigar? There was concern all week about how he would handle an off track, and when it rained, many thought him vulnerable. All he did was run the fastest Breeders’ Cup Classic in history. As far as his shoes go, he could have worn high heels and it wouldn’t have mattered.

--One final question: Has Halling finished yet?

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Airistar, the second longest shot in the field at 7-1, led every step of the way to win the $77,700 Cascapedia Handicap on Wednesday at Santa Anita.

Bought for a reported $75,000 by owners David Abrams, Vic Johnson and Jack Nakkashian. Airistar has two victories in three starts for her current connections.

Trained by Barry Abrams and ridden by Martin Pedroza, the 4-year-old Prospective Star filly beat Angi Go by a half-length in 1:09 1/5 for the six furlongs.

Pirate’s Revenge, the 11-10 favorite, finished last in her first start since beating Paseana in the Milady Handicap on June 25 at Hollywood Park.

Horse Racing Notes

There is a Pick Six carryover of $358,613.96 today after no one isolated all six winners for the second consecutive program. . . . Gary Stevens, who has been riding in New York since the end of Del Mar, will return to Santa Anita this weekend. He is named on one horse Friday--Key Aly--who is trained by his father, Ron. Stevens rode at Oak Tree the first weekend of the meeting and won with four of 11 mounts, including the Lady’s Secret Handicap with Borodislew and Track Gal in the Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap. . . . Jack Meyers, a longtime racing official in California, died Tuesday from complications of a stroke. Meyers, 79, was racing secretary at Hollywood Park from 1966-71 and also worked as a racing secretary at Caliente and was a steward at a number of meetings on the fair circuit. A memorial service will be held at 5:30 p.m. today at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Coronado.