With the Kentucky Derby coming up this weekend (and the time of year that people pay a little attention to horse racing) the annual debate around changing the Triple Crown Calendar is on again.
Put me firmly in the "let's change it up" category.
First Saturday in May: Kentucky Derby
Memorial Day: Preakness
Weekend of July 4th: Belmont.
Yes, I understand that this would have an impact on later racing, but not much when you really think about it.
The biggest issue would be the timing of the "next" big race, the Grade 1 Haskell. But the Saratoga meet is several weeks and it could be bumped back some. After that the next big race is the Travers, in late August. I see no reason why those dates cannot get shifted some. Again, the meet at the Spa is several weeks in length.
The problem with this argument is, as it has always been in horse racing, that shifting these races around would require coordination between the various racing State entities. Such as thing just does not happen in horse racing. The States are selfish, silly, and lack the capacity to take a long view of the sport. So, while the solution seems easy, it's probably going to be more difficult than it should be and eventually come way too late for it to matter.
Horse racing is whistling past the graveyard right now. Irrelevant except for one Saturday in May (and for two more races IF the same horse wins, and all but ignored the rest of the year. That's too bad of course, how many people would be a fan of horses like Skippylongstockings or White Abbario if only they knew to pay attention to them, but it's where the industry seems bent on heading.
There are many other problems in the sport, horrible gambling product being front and center, but the inability of the State Racing Commissions to work and play well with others is at the top.
And this ignores States like Texas, whose rules are designed to end the industry all together within it's borders.
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