Lasix Ban

For some reason, the Breeders Cup has banned the use of lasix on the two year old horses that will be racing in this year's Breeders Cup.  Mike Repole has stated that he will not enter any of his horses into the Million Dollar races because of that and the fact that Santa Anita is host of the world event.  He is from New York and seems to think that New York bases horses have trouble winning in southern California.  There is always home court advantage for any group of horses and it will be no surprise if Bob Baffert has a winning horse in any one of these races. 

The real advantage to having the horses race in California is the climate.  It is certainly a desirable site for the bettors to know that it will be free from weather problems.  Since Santa Anita decided to convert to dirt after using synthetic, it will be interesting to see how horses perform lasix free on a dirt track.  You can just bet that no matter the result, that that will be an argument both pro and con as to why any single horse did win or did not win.

However, my main concern is that there are  enough windows for the huge crowds to be able to make their bets in time without having to stand in line for ever and getting shut out.  The crowds at Santa Anita are enormous on special event days and I have seen the lines so long that many people had trouble in placing their bets.  You have to run up to the window at the end of the race to be sure to get your bet in on time, and that is not fun when one wants to  look at the horses.  So you have to decide whether it is more important to see a horse that one likes or to place a bet.

I remember when lasix first came in.  First time lasix was a real indication of which horse to bet in the early days. It has changed a lot since then so that first time lasix users don't automatically win, but there was a time when one could bet on that horse and win with it.  Today it is a much different story.

So it will be interesting to see how this goes.  All the horses will be unable to use it in 2013 according to the article that I just read. This year, it is only applicable to two year olds...