Quote:
Originally Posted by Betsy
I really loathe a decision to postpone. By then, the colts will be closer to being older horses than 3 year olds - the race itself is more than a test of talent, it's a test of which horses can be precocious enough to be ready for that demanding distance so early in the year and yet sturdy enough to be able to run well at that distance. Now it's just going to be a post-Travers race - too similar to the Travers, in fact it will be exactly the same. Will trainers want to run in both races? Nope, so they’d be forced to choose...
There is no reason why the Derby shouldn't be run in front of a crowdless grandstand. I would also add that the Derby would get extra coverage as pretty much the only sporting event at the time - in September, with pennant race baseball going on as well as the start of the NFL season...and maybe the Masters...it’s going to get lost.
Additionally, if the Derby is postponed, and there's no Preakness, where do these horses run? There aren't any big races within that span because of the TC.... I like Steve Haskins’ idea (from his Derby Dozen):
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I love the Derby...this sucks (for many reasons), but I’ll try to enjoy the novelty of the September Derby for this year.
The big flaw in Haskin’s idea is that most states may shut down horse racing in the next few weeks (at least I think so) and it would probably be crazy for a track to do that with the possibility of no fan attendance. I also wouldn’t want it at Santa Anita.
Maybe Laurel should commission a big race in late September between the Derby and Breeders Cup. They wanted the Preakness...maybe they could host the equivalent this year.
It’s going to be weird no matter what.