La Plata and a disgraceful Saturday card; if they want to kill racing, they’re getting there

On its biggest revenue day, it will offer nine low-quality allowance races; was the date rotation requested for this?; both scheduled stakes races were canceled

LA PLATA.- More and more voices are reaching a troubling conclusion: far from offering solutions, racing authorities seem determined to go the other way—down a path that leads directly toward the destruction of the sport in Argentina.

A few years ago, Hipódromo de La Plata managed to secure an agreement with Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo and Hipódromo de San Isidro to race on Saturdays, the day of highest activity and wagering of the week. It was, without question, a strategic achievement.

However, that advantage has never been fully capitalized on. There has been no innovation, no planning, no effort to elevate the program. And now comes the low point: management has put together a card of just nine allowance races, following the cancellation of the Clásico Wanna Dance and Clásico Colombia—this despite the fact that the OSAF had already sent a letter requesting explanations over such decisions.

The question is unavoidable: is no one reflecting? The many associations surrounding the industry remain silent. Palermoand San Isidro also appear unwilling to intervene. And the lottery authority? As so many times before, absent. The overall impression is one of collective resignation, as if discarding more than 150 years of history were an acceptable collateral consequence.

The issue is not merely symbolic. Squandering a day with high wagering potential directly impacts the economics of racing. It is not the same to handle 300 million pesos as it is 800 million: 9% of that turnover goes toward purses, and the difference lost along the way could represent meaningful relief for prize money levels that are, in many cases, embarrassingly low.

But none of this seems to matter. It is easier to look the other way, pretend everything is normal, and carry on as if nothing has happened. A familiar snapshot in racing’s history: hypocrisy, lack of empathy, and an alarming absence of will for change.

Then, of course, come the complaints. The same officials who make these decisions are the ones warning that there is not enough money, while every participant in the chain—owners, breeders, professionals—must bear the consequences. Today, there will be nine races at La Plata that invite no one. And the advice this time is sincere: if you have a better plan, go ahead without guilt. You won’t miss a thing. Clearly, those in charge don’t seem to care either.