Virtual Kentucky Derby = NBC 5/2

[RUFFIAN]

Virtual Kentucky Derby to be Televised May 2 on NBC

Track officials aim to raise $2 million for COVID-19 emergency relief efforts.

By BloodHorse Staff

Churchill Downs announced April 23 that it will conduct
a virtual running of the Kentucky Derby

during a May 2 telecast on NBC from 3-6 p.m. ET
on the traditional day of the Kentucky Derby

Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

Called the "The Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown,"

The “Virtual race is a computer-simulated version of the American classic,
which was postponed this year from its traditional running
on the first Saturday in May
to Sept. 5 because of COVID-19.

Saturday's coverage will include:

• A new interview with trainer Bob Baffert, trainer of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify , and jockey Mike Smith, who teamed with Baffert on Justify in 2018;
• A look at 2020's top three-year-olds heading into the summer racing season;
• Video from Churchill Downs during the show;
• Larry Collmus' call of the 2015 Kentucky Derby, watched by nearly 18 million viewers as American Pharoah crossed the finish line;
• A look in on American Pharoah, at his stable at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Versailles, Kentucky;
• An essay by Tim Layden offering perspective on the meaning of the Kentucky Derby. Layden will provide additional commentary and articles on NBC Sports.com throughout the week;
• The Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown virtual horse race (additional details below).

Churchill Downs' First-Ever Virtual Horse Race—Featuring 13 Triple Crown Winners
The NBC broadcast will feature Churchill Downs' first virtual horse race: The Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown, which will be called by NBC Sports' Triple Crown race caller Larry Collmus. The virtual race, created by Inspired Entertainment, will feature the 13 past Triple Crown winners and use data algorithms including historical handicapping information about each horse, which helps to determine the probability of their potential finishing positions.

Beginning this Thursday, April 30, fans will be able to visit www.KentuckyDerby.com to choose their favorite horse to win the virtual race and join Churchill Downs in making a charitable donation to COVID-19 emergency relief efforts.

[DonGuido]

Thanks Ruffian. I think I'd pick American Pharoah to win, Justify second by a nose!? But, then there's Secretariat!!! Then again Justify never got beat so why would he lose this race?

[cal828]

I'm old, but even Secretariat's win was before I became seriously interested in horse racing. At first, when considering this virtual race, I thought well, the winner has to be Secretariat, after all he is recognized as the fastest horse ever in the KD, but what would happen, if Secretariat had been confronted by horses that were nearly as fast in the same race such as Monarchos, the 2nd fastest? As we all know, pace has a lot to do with it. Have to say, I don't have a clue. The only thing I know for sure is that the stars of today are not nearly as good as those of the past. You sometimes hear people say that things today aren't nearly as good as they "used to be" or "in the good old days" and you wonder the truth of that, but you don't have to wonder about horse racing.

[RUFFIAN]

Based upon my personality

I am going to go with WHIRLAWAY

[casp0555]

Barbaro...for personal and sentimental reasons his win in the Derby and subsequent tragedy is what drew me into the sport full time. Up until then, I was a Triple Crown only fan.....

[Roamin42]

My choice is Secretariat. Hard to go against a record holder. of all TRIPLE CROWN races

[JolyB]

https://connect.xfinity.com/appsuite...988&height=596

Here are the post positions and ML odds for the Virtual Derby. 7-2 on Secretariat looks mighty attractive to me.

[DonGuido]

Originally Posted by JolyB

https://connect.xfinity.com/appsuite...988&height=596

Here are the post positions and ML odds for the Virtual Derby. 7-2 on Secretariat looks mighty attractive to me.

Hmmmmm, tried to connect to the link and it popped up "Forbidden".

[JolyB]

Sorry about that. It worked for me. Let me try a different way:


PP Horse Odds Winning year
1 Affirmed 5-1 1978
2 Assault 20-1 1946
3 Secretariat 7-2 1973
4 Sir Barton 20-1 1919
5 Seattle Slew 5-1 1977
6 American Pharoah 6-1 2015
7 Gallant Fox 20-1 1930
8 Citation 4-1 1948
9 War Admiral 8-1 1937
10 Whirlaway 6-1 1941
11 Count Fleet 6-1 1943
12 Justify 15-1 2018
13 Omaha 20-1 1935

[RUFFIAN]

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said April 29
that he has authorized the return of spectatorless racing
as part of the first phase of the several business openings
in the state that begins May 11.

[JolyB]

Originally Posted by RUFFIAN-333

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said April 29
that he has authorized the return of spectatorless racing
as part of the first phase of the several business openings
in the state that begins May 11.

I don't think that Governor Beshear went quite that far. What was approved was Churchill's opening its backstretch that will allow horses to be shipped in starting on May 11 from places such as Fair Grounds, Oaklawn, Tampa and Gulfstream.

No specific date for the return of racing has been established, but this is a necessary first step toward that goal.

Here's a link to a longer article:
https://www.drf.com/news/kentucky-go...ment-expected-

[RUFFIAN]

IT WAS PER BLOODHORSE


BloodHorse
NEWS ALERT
Beshear Authorizes Spectatorless Racing in Kentucky
Click Here!

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said April 29
that he has authorized the return of spectatorless racing
as part of the first phase of the several business openings in the state that begins May 11.

"We were able to come to an agreement yesterday, specifically with the group that's going to start, Churchill Downs," Beshear said of the plan to resume racing in Kentucky. "They are going to start accepting horses and start accepting folks on the backside of the track on May 11. There will be no fans for racing."

Shortly after Beshear's briefing, Churchill Downs confirmed its intention to reopen its stable areas at both Churchill Downs racetrack and the auxiliary training center, Trackside, May 11 under strict guidelines to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Churchill Downs' stable areas have been closed since Dec. 31 for annual winter renovations and were originally scheduled to reopen March 17. The start of the 2020 spring meet was originally scheduled for April 25.

"The stable areas will reopen under a phased, systematic approach," read a release from the Louisville track. "Opening day of the 2020 spring meet with spectator-free racing will be communicated in the coming days after track officials evaluate its incoming horse population and load-in procedures."

There will be a phased, systematic, and controlled return of horses and their personnel to the stable areas starting May 11 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (all times ET).

Horses stabled at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots may return May 11-13. Horses located at Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs, and at Florida training centers are allowed to ship in May 14-16.

Horses based at Oaklawn Park are cleared to arrive May 17-19. Horses from other locales will be permitted May 20.

Racing at Churchill Downs during the spring meet will be conducted spectator-free "until government officials approve fans returning to the historic track," Churchill officials said in their release.

When racing returns to Churchill Downs, it will be staged at a minimum of four days per week, Thursday through Sunday. A daily post time for the first race has not been finalized. A revised stakes schedule and condition book for the schedule of races also will be issued in the coming days.



VIEW FULL STORY

[JolyB]

Entries are now open for the Triple Crown Showdown, in which you get to pick the winner of a virtual race between all 13 triple crown winners for a chance to be entered in a drawing to win what CD describes as the "ultimate Kentucky Derby experience." The full scope of the single rand prize is worth reading.

At the same time you will be asked to donate to support COVID-19 relief. It is also possible to enter without making a donation.

Here is the link:
https://www.kentuckyderby.com/

[DonGuido]

Originally Posted by JolyB

Entries are now open for the Triple Crown Showdown, in which you get to pick the winner of a virtual race between all 13 triple crown winners for a chance to be entered in a drawing to win what CD describes as the "ultimate Kentucky Derby experience." The full scope of the single rand prize is worth reading.

At the same time you will be asked to donate to support COVID-19 relief. It is also possible to enter without making a donation.

Here is the link:
https://www.kentuckyderby.com/

I just entered and Picked . . . Citation 4-1. After all he only lost one race to some horse by the name of Saggy. After that, he never lost against MUCH better company, winning 16 in a row and the first horse to win a $million or more. This was in the late '40s early '50s. Who the HECK was Saggy???

A neat story and basically why Patty is a freaking thoroughbred savant and lover. Her family of 6 Irish Catholic kids, she's the oldest, took a trip to Cincinnati in the early 50's to visit relatives and she talked her dad into taking a side trip to Kentucky on their way back to Binghamton, NY. They stopped at Calumet, for some reason, on a beautiful sunny day and along fence lines as horses ran in the field a number of them came over to the kids holding handfuls of grass in their hands. One horse was much bigger and more beautiful than all the rest but seemed to be ignored by the young Foley kids. Patty saw him and walked over to feed him with a big clump of grass feeding him and rubbing his nose. She didn't stay too long since Jack, their dad was hollering at them from the car window "Let's go we gotta get back home, get in the car!"

She very reluctantly walked to the car looking back at the beautiful specimen that gave her goosebumps and filled her face with a smile. He was shaking his head and neck around as if to say and talking to her, as most horses do in they want something, "hey cute little girl where ya going so soon, c'mon back, stay here, don't you know who I am? I'm Citation! She tells this special adventure often to those who have never heard before and some that have. Each time it's a little different so I took a little "poetic" license adding my interpretation as to how it makes me feel every time I hear it and see her smiling face like it had just happened yesterday.

[JolyB]

Great story Don. With that background, how could you not pick Citation. I can just imagine how big her smile will be if Citation wins the virtual race. And how big your smile will be if you win the drawing.

[RUFFIAN]

THE 'COLORADO KITTEN' IS NOW ENTERED WITH WHIRLAWAY

SYNONYMOUS WITH HER MIND & PERSONALITY

A WHIRLWIND ON ANY GIVEN DAY!

[Plenilune]

First, here are two VERY good documentaries when Thoroughbreds were really true race horses:

Citation – who was freaking phenomenal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1803k520Mi0&t=9s

Whirlaway was amazing, brat that he was:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_50pQR3AYv8

Second, TC winners prior to Secretariat ran such different conditions and careers I'm not sure how to estimate the older horses versus post 1973. That means iron versus aluminum shoes, training strategies, number of races run at two and three, lots of things. Older horses were RACED, not babied, not like today where they are raced maybe seven times a year, then of course retired at the end of their three year old lives. Older horses were sometimes raced with one week's rest and still won! Citation ran 29 times as a two year old! He won 19 from 20 races as a three year old!

Third, how is the program for the virtual race written. Is there really a random program? Or is it based on their 2 and 3 year old races and applied to the outcome? How could that be, since older horses ran more races prior to the KY Derby than post 1973? Maybe I'm way off base as I have not looked at all the horses' careers. It's just my perception that the older horses were tested, tried and true, more than post 1973.

That being said, because he's my Thoroughbred hero and sparked my love of horse racing, I want Secretariat to win. I have to admit his Preakness was my favorite, the way he passed all those horses in the first turn as if they were just jogging and he was steam rolling along.

Yet, I would be extremely happy if Citation won. Talk about a tremendous machine! Wow! Watch that video link. What a story, both human and equine. Got to give a lot of respect to both for Citation and his connections.

[DonGuido]

Thanks Plen. The ESPN Citation story was very well done.

[DonGuido]

I was disappointed in the elongated program focusing pretty much on American Pharoah's Derby. I mean we love AP but . . . ? The virtual Derby race was also disappointing and way too predictable, of course they had to make Secretariat win. I was hoping we'd see each Triple Crown winner's Derby race. They had plenty of time to do that. Not well done NBC, if you ask me.

Too much time spent with Bailey and what's his name, you know what's his name, who cares? After being so disappointed by that telecast, I was lifted up at the end of racing at seeing the wonderful Trail's End tribute to all at Oaklawn. Never seeing that before of being aware of it, I was emotionally moved by the calmness (almost reverence) of the horses lined up in a row. And at these times, meaning even a little more. One of the better things of seen in any sport in a very long time.

WELL DONE Oaklawn park for the entire meet. And in reality I'm sure we'll all be very happy not to have to play Oaklawn again for quite awhile.

Be SAFE everyone and take care of yourself and loved ones!!!

[RUFFIAN]

DON
“ I was lifted up at the end of racing at seeing the wonderful Trail's End tribute to all at Oaklawn.

Never seeing that before of being aware of it, I was emotionally moved by the calmness (almost reverence) of the horses lined up in a row.

And at these times, meaning even a little more.
One of the better things of seen in any sport in a very long time. “
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

INSPIRING TO KNOW THAT OTHERS WERE AFFECTED AS MUCH AS I WAS

I HAD TEARS FALLING AS I WATCHED THAT TRIBUTE
....... WITH VARIOUS EMOTIONS WASHING OVER ME

HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE
AT LEAST NOT WITH HORSES!!!

They said they do that at the end of the last race of the end of the season
every year but this was the first I’ve ever seen anything like it

I feel blessed to have witnessed it