Eskendereya skipping FL Derby, prefering Wood

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by asudevil

And they (GP) were also left without the Derby favorite who was in their own backyard. This scenario wasn't contemplated by management? I don't blame the connections at all. But hey, they will be the only act in town this Sat.

So they should have said, well, hmm, maybe the likely Derby favorite will be committed to our race then 24 hours before the draw he'll be removed from consideration and pointed to another race? There are a ton of feasible scenarios that may play out with regards to the race but the fact of the matter is they were pretty damn close to having the best 3YO on their side of the country until a quirky owner decided that the timing was not right.

When it comes to racetrack management you have to be concerned with the racetrack. Are fewer fans going to show up because Eskendereya is not going? Doubtful. Are fewer people going to wager on the card because Eskendereya is not running? Doubtful. Would they have handled as much if their card was on the same day as Fair Grounds and Turfway's biggest cards? Doubful.

It's easy to try and point the finger for why Eskendereya is not running the Florida Derby and blame the management at GP. However, there was no way for them to plan on an owner deciding on Tuesday of the week before the race that the timing was bad.

NT