8/2 (MNR): West Virginia Derby (Gr. III)
 

Race 8 (5:15) West Virginia Derby (G3)

1 1/8 Miles | Dirt | Open | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $750,000

1 Web Gem Chavez J F 111 LA
2 My Pal Charlie Theriot H J II 116 L
3 Cherokee Artist Gomez G K 111 LA
4 Acting Zippy Whitney D G 111 L
5 Z Fortune Bridgmohan S X 117 LA
6 Recapturetheglory Graham J 119 LA
7 Ready Set Leparoux J R 111 LA
8 Proud Kentuckian Saez G 111 LA
9 Stolen Chevy Stokes R A III 111 L
10 Marble Cliff Martinez L J Jr 113 LA
11 Real Appeal Castanon J L 113 L
12 I've Heard It All Feliciano R 111 L

That's some field for 750K.

i didn't realize there were that many jocks who could make 111 at one track.

There will be some overweights in that race - don't worry.

i figured there would be.
tis a shame that horses in a gr3 are given such light imposts tho. seems kinda crazy.
all in all, not a bad field tho. beats watching 3-5 horse fields.

These weights that are gave out at these bush league tracks when they they have their " big day" are complete BS.

When are the racing secs. going to realize most these guys cant weigh in under 116. All it does is put the owner and trainer in a bad spot because their jock weighs more than a 2nd grader.

This is a very solid field for a grade 3. People just think it is better than a grade 3 because of the money involved.

What do you expect though in a year when basically every 3yr old out there is a grade 3 caliber horse.

A 95-100 beyer will win this race, but it will also win the Haskell or Travers.

Is this a handicap? Unlikely. This type of race is usually under allowance conditions - so much weight allowed off of the scale for not having won a race worth thus and such. Low weights means these horses haven't accomplished much yet.

yes, i understand all that. i just think it's a shame a grade three has so many listed at such a light weight. these are supposed to be the better horses, shouldn't they be able to carry more than 111?

I think they assign such light weight so not to discourage owners & horseman from entering. This along with 750K helps them get a bigger field and better horses. This is especially true if they are looking at other similar races this summer, PA derby etc....

by the same token, having lightweight horses (literally and figuratively) can jeopardize their graded status in future. i think you'd be better off drawing the top horses, even with a small field-rather than having a no name carrying feather weight manage a surprise-and have the graded stakes committee penalize your premiere race as a result.

Which is the major problem with racing today. The only concern, which is legitimate for the track, is to maintain their graded stakes status to keep the breeders happy. It isn't about the horseplayers, who fund the sport, but instead it is just about keeping the breeders happy.

I hear people complain about "too much racing" all of the time, which I don't disagree with, but the other problem is that there are way too many graded stakes, which only dilute the fields...

i think the track wants to maintain gr status so they can try to draw fans in, which means more handle-and of course you ought to be able to draw better horses if they are running for a grade. but perhaps there are too many graded races because of too many tracks, too many horses. except in detroit.

interesting to note that a gr 3 has to have a 150k minimum purse. this race has 5 times that, but is still a gr 3-due no doubt to lack of good horses to fill the field each year.

Mountaneer is more concerned about slot income than the track. If they cared about the racing they would fix up the facilities. I believe the jock's room still has a partial dirt floor. The only reason they race is because they must, to keep the slots. The purses are descent because they have to give away the money, which is the same reason the WV Derby purse is 750K. The CEO (Ted Arneau) is a big sports fan and an egomaniac which is why he shines up this crap hole once a year to stroke his own ego. That being said I will probably be there tomorrow.

I was on a group project that did an in-depth study of MTR Gaming this past spring. When you look at their revenues from Mountaineer and Presque Isle Downs, they make tons of money from the casinos. Then way, way behind that is their revenues off racing. And BETWEEN those, just a little higher than racing, is Food and Beverage and Lodging.

So, they are making more money from F&B than racing...

it looked like those horses were running in quiksand..... recapture NEVER settled in, Graham was working on that horse from the gate, never rated, and after backing up took 2 horses w/him who had to check behind him.
Game ride by Jules


-bt-

I would have thought any price on AP Xcellent would be ruined due to a few scratches, what's he doing at 7-1 with 18 mtp?

not that anyone takes handicaps seriously anyway.

look at zenyatta at del mar today. wins a grade 1 last race and runs back in a grade 2. wouldn't that be worth at least 1 lb?

9-2 with 7 mtp on AP