tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post4720468617207830670..comments2024-03-05T05:38:22.024-05:00Comments on Left at the Gate: Sunday NotesAlan Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-34455690967225257462008-10-13T09:25:00.000-04:002008-10-13T09:25:00.000-04:00Sunny - Yes, the fifth place award was $1950. Not...Sunny - Yes, the fifth place award was $1950. Not bad for a night's work. But I think Zada Belle probably scared most of them away. Don't know if they would have run Zip It anyway. The point is I think that she's a filly who runs her heart out ever race, and the concern is that she could become discouraged - or worse - in a race in which she's badly outmatched. The stakes has no nomination fee, and the entries are taken so far in advance that it just lends itself to a lot of scratches as we saw.Alan Mannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-89536115292981723732008-10-12T12:23:00.000-04:002008-10-12T12:23:00.000-04:00From Sunny Jim in New JerseyHi Alan -Was wondering...From Sunny Jim in New Jersey<BR/><BR/>Hi Alan -<BR/><BR/>Was wondering about this: Interesting turn of events in that stake sprint at the Meadowlands last night. In addition to Just Zip It, seven other horses scratched out of the race, leaving just five starters from an original thirteen. <BR/><BR/>So all she would have had to do to earn a check, then, was beat one horse if she had been left in the race. Isn't the payoff a few percent for finishing fifth? (I know in harness racing it's 5%.) With a $65K purse that's nothing to scoff at, no? <BR/><BR/>Do you think she would have been left in had you known there would be all those scratches? As it turned out, a 2X-allowance horse took second in the greatly diminished field. <BR/><BR/>Why do you think all those other horses were scratched anyway? For all the complaining <BR/>New Jersey trainers like to do about the state losing out by virtue of being surrounded by racino states, I notice that so many of them are so quick to scratch their horses. The Meadowlands fall meet has had to deal with short fields for many years now, and last night there was nothing wrong with the weather.<BR/><BR/>I see a couple of trainers who actually have taken advantage of this situation: They will enter a horse in a grass race, but will run only if the race comes OFF the grass, knowing that the fields will be short - sometimes with less than five entries. <BR/><BR/>Cheers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com