In The Dark

- NY's OTB channel switched from the excellent UK coverage it had been carrying over to its Aqueduct simulcast at noon, leaving those of us without Dish Network out of luck. Yes, I saw the Sheema just now on tape, and they'll show the other two shortly after they're run, but it's certainly not the same.

Since I was so wrong the other day, I'm not going to drop any 'F' bombs on anyone without knowing for sure who, if anyone, is at fault. Churchill Downs, which controls the signal, and TVG still do have a business relationship, however adversarial, since TVG is contracted to carry Calder through next year. So couldn't something have been worked out with the good of us racing fans in mind?

It's probably no coincidence that on Friday, TVG made its big announcement about its increased coverage of Keeneland, which was really not much of an announcement at all, perhaps in an attempt to blunt their failure to carry the biggest race of the decade. They'll be some extra on-site coverage, which is nice, but hardly compensates for how lame the network has been, and will continue to be once Churchill opens. And they'll be a one-time session of "The Works:Toyota Blue Grass Stakes 2007, which seems kinda like a special episode of "Law And Order: Assisted Living Facility Purse-Snatching Unit."