Kudos to a Technicolor Breeders' Cup

I've been critical of the Breeders' Cup for a number of reasons, most notably the decision to stage consecutive meetings on the synthetic surface at Santa Anita Park and its laying the potential groundwork for a withdrawal from some of the series' recently added races, particularly the Breeders' Cup Marathon.

But a comparatively small decision announced Tuesday by the Breeders' Cup gets a big thumbs-up from me.

This year, the horses will race with the standard U.S. system of color-coded saddle cloths, rather than all in the now-familiar Breeders' Cup purple.

Huzzah!

The decision was reached after the Breeders' Cup consulted with its Fan Advisory Council and through the input of horseplayers across the U.S. and Canada. And it's a great move.

I realize that in certain major races (usually due to a corporate sponsorship) and in many foreign jurisdictions, single-color saddle towels are frequently used. But I greatly prefer the U.S. system -- red saddle cloth for the No. 1, white for No. 2, blue for No. 3, etc. -- because it takes a field full of brown and red horses (with the occasional gray) and makes every one of them "a horse of a different color," even at a distance.

I have a pretty good set of eyes, but as a bettor, fan or even an owner it can be difficult to follow "your" horse through the field, despite the fact that the jockeys are wearing silks and caps in the connections' colors.

The distinctive block of defining color that each different saddle cloth provides gives all observers the best opportunity to keep up with the progress of each horse in the race, from gate to wire.