Readers weigh in on pair o’ preps
Last week, I asked for your opinions on the trend of giving Derby contenders just two preps before the Run for the Roses. Here are a couple of the better responses I received.
Steve Porter wrote that the trend of running fewer preps “simply reflects the alarming erosion of today’s breeding standards.
“The current infatuation with the Storm Cat and Gone West lines tells the story,” he said. “These two produce horses with speed and precocity but they are as fragile and prone to injury as they are fast. Owners know this and are out to win big and early, then retire their horses to the breeding shed for the big money.
“The Derby is a classic distance of 1 ¼ miles. The record clearly shows Storm Cat and Gone West do NOT produce runners suited for classic distances. Yet, as long as owners maintain a ‘get-rich-quick’ mentality, the breeding industry must cater to the owners’ whims. This Catch-22 dilutes bloodlines and can ultimately destroy classic thoroughbred racing in the U.S.”
But Jim Walters of New Jersey sees the lighter racing schedule at 3 as the wave of the future and a sign of hope for the handicap division.
“Prior to last year I was not a fan of two preps and then the Derby, but after Street Sense and Curlin it seems like the way to go. As far as your Curlin question, I dismissed him last year going into the Derby due to his lack of experience, but after the race I realized I couldn't have been more wrong. As it turned out, in my opinion Curlin got beat by the brutal trip and raced way more seasoned than you would expect from a horse with so few starts. … I also think the fewer derby preps allowed for the top horses to have a longer 3 year old campaign. Look at the quality 3 year olds that showed up in the BC Classic. It was great. Now if only we could keep some of them on the track as 4 years olds so we could see the Spectacular Bid/Affirmed type showdowns.”
Late scratches
A bit more housekeeping before I go.
Author and handicapper extraordinaire Steve Davidowitz, with whom I was fortunate enough to share time in the press box in the San Francisco Bay Area, makes this salient point about the timing snafu in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park:
“If the problem was as stated by GP that an outrider tripped the first beam too soon, then the only adjustment they should have made was the difference between the clocking at the first pole (taken against the video replay, either by hand or via a calibrated clocking).”
He’s absolutely right that there was no reason for the fractional times to shift (see the chart in last week’s column). It should give pause to any handicapper who looks at times (and don’t we all?).
And finally, I’m delighted to say that I’ve hit the big time now by accidentally naming my first blog.
Reader Chrys Bean was kind enough to tip a very intriguing Derby contender in the second installment this column, a horse with a defective GPS unit named Numaany. When I included her comment, I introduced it thus: “When it comes to rank outsiders (literally), Chrys Bean of Arizona takes the cake.”
Well guess what? Chrys is now writing a blog, titled “Curlin – Liquid Gold,” under the handle – you guessed it – “The Rank Outsider.”
As she explains on the site, “I call myself 'The Rank Outsider' thanks to a comment I made to Mike Brunker on msnbc.com about Numaany. He posted it, calling me a ‘rank outsider, literally,’ and somehow it resonated with me. It's true. My fascination with horse racing has nothing to do with inside knowledge about the sport. Sometimes a horse will just ‘grab’ me — Curlin sure did — and so did Numaany with his crazy maiden win back in November.”
Welcome to the world of turf writing, Chrys, but I really need to explain something as well. I was referring to Numaany as the “rank outsider,” not you. But, hey, that handle does have a nice ring to it!
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