I'm sure that there are a lot of ungraded races that deserve the "upgrade" as well as many that should be downgraded, but in my mind, the recent increase in significance of Oaklawn park on the road to the Derby (which probably has as much to do with the slot money as Smarty Jones), I think it just makes too much sense for the Southwest/Rebel/Ark Derby, to be a Grade III/GII/GI progression. With the increase of big money/low "status" 2YO races (ie the Delta Jackpot) wrapping up Derby spots, it seems that more should be done to reward horses that run on the major Derby-prep circuits.
|