Would anyone be crazy enough to try this?
 

The Withers is a graded stake race for three-year-olds. $150,000 purse. $90k to 1st. $30k to 2nd. $15k to 3rd. $7.5k to 4th. $4.5k to 5th.

Right now, a small field is expected for the Withers. Perhaps only 4 runners.

Also right now, Behindatthebar (who may be skipping the Derby) and Visionaire are separated by $2,000 in graded earnings. Other Derby hopefuls might come up as few as $14.5k short of the Kentucky Derby field

I think you see where I am going with this.

Hey, just tossing it out there. Don't Get Mad (pun intended).

I decided to check the list of nominees to this race about five seconds after posting. It looks like none of the bubble horses are even nominated to the Withers, except for Atoned.

Nevermind. I'll go back to my hole.

Unless Aqueduct accepts late-nominees. Somehow I doubt it.

It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.

I'd like to see Kentucky Bear try this crazy plan, he'd waltz around the track in the Withers to victory, probably wouldn't even be blowing after the race

Only one that might be crazy enough is Zayat with Halo Najib. And I'm pretty sure he'd have no problem supplementing the horse to do so.

Somebody will probably attempt that some year as it seems that recently the desire to "just get in" the race is even greater than it was in years past.
The Withers HAS served as a decent Preakness prep the last three years, with Scrappy T, Bernardini, and CP West all going from that race to Pimlico.

Kentucky Bear currently has $75k, $90k for the win would place him in the Derby

No guarantee of $165,000 getting him in. I'm not sure what happens if he was tied with Denis of Cork and even Denis still isn't guaranteed to get in. The horse is lightly raced, running three times in four weeks would not be the smartest move.

Didn't realize it'd be three times in four weeks! Forget that plan

Yeah, the Preakness makes a lot more sense (or the Peter Pan).

The Blue Grass used to be 9 days before the Derby and the Derby Trial was the Tue of Derby week. Odd as it sounds they were very important races placed like that. The game has changed and it ain't going back.

Ahh, the good old days. When horses actually ran in races. I miss those days.

I saw Kentucky Bear in his barn on Sunday. Nice piece of horseflesh. Wouldn't be surprised to see him run very well in the Preakness, if he goes- was very green in the Blue Grass.

The Calumet horses usually used the Trial and they won more Derbies than anyone in history. Alydar's Blue Grass was 9 days before the Derby. Today if you tried that you'd be called a "butcher" by hordes of online fans who wouldn't know which end of a horse to feed and which end to clean up after.

works between races has supplanted races between races. makes you wonder why, as horses don't earn crap for a work, regardless of how fast it is.