- Tried to find the Harness Eye, so that I could get started on Saturday night's Meadowlands Pace card. Not long ago, when it was still called Sports Eye, it was easy to get; even at some places that didn't carry the Form. That's apparently no longer the case.
The Racing Form, under its prior ownership, bought Sports Eye a couple of years or so ago, and it's hard to see why, at least based on its harness racing properties. I know they have some other sports publications, and I don't know what's happened to them. Someone there once mentioned that the deal improved their printing efficiencies. Maybe that's it, because they sure haven't done a thing with Harness Eye, and I think that's too bad. In fact, to say that it's been neglected is putting it rather mildly. When's the last time you heard of any publication that doesn't even have a website!? If you want harness pp's online, you need to go to BRIS or Track Master instead, and their past performances are not as good. How much expense and effort does it really take these days to put some PDF's online for sale?
So, I was rather taken aback when, while unsuccessfully seeking a Harness Eye, I saw that the good ol' Form itself is carrying the full Meadowlands card right there in the print edition! There's a first for you for sure.
Bob Heyden, the Big M's crack racing analyst, says that Somebeachsomewhere is the best horse he's seen since Secretariat. That might be a bit like saying that Sidney Crosby is the best player he's seen since Mickey Mantle, but you get the point.
When you expect a horse to be really good or great and then he knocks you off your feet, then he's really done something....I know for a fact -- and I'm not sure the casual fan does -- but I would say he only gave between a 60 and 70 per cent effort. That's all he needed off a 28-day layoff. You don't usually win eliminations by these kind of lengths. He just, naturally, drew away from the field." [Standardbred Canada]The replay of the race is available at the above link, and it was exactly as Heyden describes.
5 Comments:
The Form has included PP's on Pace and Hambo day for years. A nice touch for sure. I might have to do a Belmont/Big M double tomorrow.
If every track on Friday had put a free Big-M pps program in their patrons hands as they left the track, I wonder how many of them might be back on Saturday night to watch and wager?
RG
From Sunny Jim in Jersey -
jk - Be forewarned - there are 45,000 advance tickets sold for a 6:30 Giants Stadium soccer game with Beckham's team. Be ready for traffic, a big construction zone, and a loooonnnnng walk from the ends of a 96-degree parking lot.
I e-mailed the suits at the Meadowlands about such poor planning on one of harness racing's biggest nights of the year. Especially when the Sports Complex sits empty on so many days this time of year, such as on Sundays.
Cheers.
Sunny - Ugh. Thanks for the warning, that really blows, and how stupid is that? I think I'll sneak in the back way via Rte 120. Hope they have the shuttle buses running from the distant lots.
RG - The last time I suggested free PP's, I got blasted by someone from the Form asking if I wanted to put them out of business. But it would certainly serve a purpose in instances such as this.
Thanks for the heads up. I'll be watching from the comfort of home.
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