Fair Grounds' card on Sunday features seven races restricted to Louisiana-bred horses on a ten-race program. NYRA has been putting on more and more New York bred races even at the showcase Saratoga meeting. Gulfstream has written races restricted to Florida breds at the current meeting which I'm not sure they have done before.

The reason beyond much of the emphasis on the state-bred racing programs is expanded gambling at the racetrack. Racetracks need to show how the state is benefiting from this additional gambling and pumping money into the state-bred programs is one way to show everyone where some of the money goes. Certainly the increase in purse money at Prairie Meadows over the past ten years has led to an increase in both the quantity and quality of Iowa thoroughbreds. Conversely, the breeding program in Maryland has suffered due to the lack of expanded gambling in the state.

But where is all of this leading to? New Mexico breds winning the Derby? I don't think so. There should be a happy medium where there are races written exclusively for state breds but also incentives for instate breeders & owners to run their horses in open company. Canterbury Park writes open races where Minnesota-bred horses get extra money by finishing in the money and I'm sure other states do this also. Some tracks do not recognize wins in restricted state-bred races for entries into open races.

It is important to have state breeding programs prospering and championship racing days at the state levels are some best cards of the years at tracks across the country. But carding more than half of the races for state breds is usually not a very attractive offering to bettors looking for quality racing to bet on via simulcasting or account wagering.