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Originally Posted by parsixfarms
Isn't this why it's hard to take seriously some of these figure-makers' recent hyperbolic claims like Big Brown ran the "fastest" Derby ever?
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To a degree yes. They have every type of horse getting A LOT faster.
Here is what a Thoro-Graph Kentucky Derby involving every winner since 1986 would look like.
Winner: Big Brown (2008) -4.75 (1st by 5 lengths)
2nd: Barbaro (2006) -2.25 (2nd beaten 5 lengths)
3rd: Street Sense (2007) -2.00 (3rd beaten 5.5 lengths)
4th: Smarty Jones (2004) -1.75 (4th beaten 6 lengths)
5th: Mine That Bird (2009) -0.75 (beaten 8 lengths)
5th: Monarchos (2001) -0.75 (beaten 8 lengths)
7th: War Emblem (2002) -0.50 (beaten 8.5 lengths)
8th: Giacomo (2005) 0.50 (beaten 10.5 lengths)
9th: Funny Cide (2003) 1.50 (beaten 12.5 lengths)
10th: Fusaichi Pegasus (2000) 2.75 (beaten 15 lengths)
10th: Silver Charm 2.75 (beaten 15 lengths)
12th: Thunder Gulch 3.50 (beaten 16.5 lengths)
12th: Charismatic 3.50 (beaten 16.5 lengths)
14th: Real Quiet 3.75 (beaten 17 lengths)
15th: Go For Gin 4.00 (beaten 17.5 lengths)
15th: Unbridled 4.00 (beaten 17.5 lengths)
17th: Grindstone 5.00 (beaten 19.5 lengths)
18th: Lil E Tee 5.50 (beaten 20.5 lengths)
18th Sea Hero 5.50 (beaten 20.5 lengths)
20th: Strike The Gold 6.00 (beaten 21.5 lengths)
20th: Alysheba 6.00 (beaten 21.5 lengths)
22nd: Sunday Silence 6.25 (beaten 22 lengths)
23rd: Winning Colors 6.50 (beaten 22.5 lengths
24th: Ferdinand 7.00 (beaten 23.5 lengths)
Basically, if you believe TG, horses have become 20 lengths faster at about all class levels since the days of Alysheba .... the days when Jack Van Berg was king of racing. Now, Jack Van Berg is a hysterically incompetent bum who knows absolutely nothing about training horses ... and consistantly wins at 3% year in and year out.
But yeah, if you want to believe Big Brown is the fastest Derby winner ever.... you also have to believe that Recapture The Glory ran about 10 lengths better while getting pummled - than great horses like Sunday Silence, Alysheba, and Ferdinand did in victory.