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Originally Posted by SniperSB23
So dumb. They now get lesser fields having to compete with all the other final preps and make it impossible for horses to run in the New Orleans Handicap and Oaklawn Handicap. Moving it up one week to give 8 weeks until the Derby would have made so much more sense.
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Moving it up one week would have put them six weeks out. This year it was run seven weeks prior to the Derby on March 14.
As for the NO Handicap, there is such a dearth of legitimate handicap races in the country at that time of year that they could run it whenever they want. FG had a field of 14 entered in the NO Cap last year. Oaklawn had 7 in the Oaklawn Handicap. They shouldn't be concerned with allowing horsemen to run at Oaklawn, a track that had a significantly stronger meet than FG last year.
I like the move, it adds some starch to their closing weeks and puts it in position to be a legitimate prep. This will keep people like Larry Jones, Todd Pletcher and all the rest from using the La Derby as a final Derby prep eight weeks off the race.
NT