richiebee Wrote:
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> And the only one not racing anymore (and
> thankfully still with us against all odds) is the
> Derby winner.
>
> The KY Derby is too far for 3YOs to race 4 months
> into their 3YO seasons. There are only a handful
> of horsemen with the acumen to pull this off, and
> only a couple of colts per year who can withstand
> the grind of a Derby campaign, yet each year there
> are 20 runners in the gate-- a few with the talent
> and foundation to win, the rest driven by the
> greed and delusions of grandeur of some owners who
> have the lyrics from an old Dan Fogelberg song
> bouncing around their brains.

Theres even fewer in the Travers 3 months later. Rather than the horses being too young, maybe its a matter of most horses not wanting 10 poles.

>
> Ask Nick Zito how tough it is to win the Derby.
> Ask Todd Pletcher. Ask Bobby Frankel. Ask Bill
> Mott and Shug McGaughey, who rarely put their
> runners through the Derby wringer, why this is
> so.

Its a good horse at the right time of year that can get the trip.

> The industry is currently based on instant or
> early gratification. Breeders are looking to
> produce a horse who can work an eighth mile in
> less than 11 seconds the week of a 2YO in training
> sale; owners are fixated on those May roses.
>
> This is one of the reasons the game is not too
> gratifying for Racing fans, why overhyped stallion
> prospects are marched off to the breeding shed
> with minor injuries, why we rarely see Triple
> Crown racers competing as older horses, why we
> have a $750,000 race which draws 4 runners.
>
> 4 runners in a race where SECOND money was
> $150,000. Amazing to me that with the vast amount
> of quality horseflesh entrusted to Messrs Frankel
> and Pletcher that neither one was represented in
> this race. Ditto I guess the aforementioned Mott
> and McGaughey.
>
> Imagine if professional sports stars were made so
> wealthy as teenagers that they were too wealthy to
> have to compete by the time they were 25...
>
> Possible solutions to the problem of early
> retirement in Racing (this IS a problem, because
> the lack of continuity makes it difficult to build
> the "brand" of Racing, as they would say in the
> retail biz):
>
> Solution 1: Subsidize geldings and older horses.
> Limit some big money races to geldings and older
> horses. Give geldings a weight allowance and purse
> enhancement when they race against "entire"
> horses. (Come on folks, admit it, we all want to
> see Perfect Drift v Funny Cide, to see which of
> these "gallant geldings" has a stronger will NOT
> to win).
>
> Solution 2: A HUGE bonus for OLDER runners who win
> multiple Grade 1 or Graded stakes. Maybe some big
> money stakes races late in the year which exclude
> 3YOs.
>
> Solution 3: Huge bonuses for winners of Triple
> Crown races who stay around and win stakes races
> as older horses.



> Discreet, "Nardi" and Henny all good
> advertisements for passing on the Run for the
> Roses?

Henny is not a bad horse, but he'll be hard pressed to win at 10 poles.

Nardi hasn't meet a real field since the Preakness and he got fortunate that day so many went off form. He's a good horse, not badmouthing him now, But lets make him win against an accomplished group before we crown him.

Discreet Cat still has a lot to prove. Step up and prove it.
>