Belmont Stakes 2024

[Squeaky]

With the Belmont going to Saratoga for the next 2 years and all the TV coverage it will get I sure hope they have a plan going on repairing the condition of the barns. They looked in horrible shape this past summer and to put 1st class, million dollar horses, in them would be an insult to NYRA. Horses eat wood just out of boredom and it doesn’t look like any improvements have been done in a long time.

Agree!! Sometimes I think “preserving history story” is just an excuse not to do repairs and updates.

[Missbeholder]

With the Belmont going to Saratoga for the next 2 years and all the TV coverage it will get I sure hope they have a plan going on repairing the condition of the barns. They looked in horrible shape this past summer and to put 1st class, million dollar horses, in them would be an insult to NYRA. Horses eat wood just out of boredom and it doesn’t look like any improvements have been done in a long time.

Agree!! Sometimes I think “preserving health story” is just an excuse not to do repairs and updates.

I remember when Frank Stronach bought Santa Anita, he had all kinds of crazy ideas about things he wanted to do there, some crazier than others (like tearing out the downhill). But renovating the backstretch area was one thing that everybody hoped could happen. Stronach's purchase of Santa Anita was, in fact, 25 years ago, and the backstretch still looks pretty much like it did in 1998!

The thing is, I remember reading something somewhere quite a few years ago (and forget getting a source) where Frank ran into a roadblock with that renovation. According to this thing I read, Santa Anita's backstretch is protected from renovation by historical preservationists because the Santa Anita backstretch was used as a collection spot and temporary housing for Japanese-Americans as they were literally transported to "camps"!

I don't think the Stronach Group is to blame.