Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

re: Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

Pedigree Ann — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 16:37:43 GMT

By using ONLY money amounts in determining black-type races, the cataloguing people are giving the slots-backed tracks a boost, while ignoring the difficulties of non-slots tracks. Are stakes races at Penn National and Delta Downs really better than those at Tampa and Turfway because they have higher purses?

The committee has abdicated its responsibility to use judgment along with data to make decisions. Mechanistic rules are frequently merely an excuse for lack of willingness to offend more powerful folks.

re: Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

jcanada — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 14:45:39 GMT

"More meaningful". That's the operative.

As a Breeder, I have ceased looking at any black type which is not in all CAPS.

re: Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

EJMitchellKy — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 20:16:59 GMT

D Bauder,

First, if a race meets the RQS criteria then it won't lose its black-type status.

Only if it falls below the criteria for two years or it hasn't been run for two years, can it lose its black type. The two-year rule works both ways. A race can have one weak year and not lose its black-type status. But two weak years indicate the quality of the race is declining. So, if a race has declined enough to lose its black-type, then it has to show it can string together at least two years of stronger fields to earn back its black-type designation.

re: Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

D Bauder — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 19:57:24 GMT

Do we know why races dropped from Black Type cannot re-qualify for two years? If they meet the criteria for RQS over the previous 3 years and in the current year, then they should qualify, quite simple. We shouldn't trivialize the impact this is going to have on the second tier tracks.

re: Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

Brian Russell — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 23:28:58 GMT

Thanks Eric, it is very much appreciated!

re: Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

EJMitchellKy — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 22:35:22 GMT

Brian,

You can find a list and status of all the non-listed black-type stakes here:

www.northamericanicsc.com/Default.asp

You will see 101 stakes already tagged to lose their black-type status in 2014. There are another 76 that are listed as pending, but they have not been run since 2011. Because they have not been run for two years and are unlikely to be run between now and the end of the year, they will lost their black-type status, too. It just won't happen until the change of the year before they have "officially" not been raced for two years.

re: Quality is the New Black - By Eric Mitchell

Brian Russell — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 18:55:44 GMT

How can one obtain a list of the 177 stakes that will lose their black type next year?