Eight Belles & Proud Spell

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I didn't say she got nothing out of the race. I said that I don't think we learned anything about her from the race. I said that I don't think that the sex of the competition in the SA Derby was of any significance. I said that she was challenged more in the filly races against Goodbye Halo than she was in the SA Derby. If her SA Derby showed her to be tons better than the CA males, then perhaps Goodbye Halo was a Derby quality filly too because judging by her relation to WC, she was the second-best 3yo in CA that year. I think perhaps Eight Belles hasn't been dominating her division on appearance is because she's been facing some pretty decent fillies. I think Pure Clan is better than anything she would have faced in the Arkansas Derby.

I learned that she was a superior horse. Beating Goodbye Halo didnt prove that. Crushing males in a major Derby prep does. You cant compare WC with these fillies because they have very little in common other than being female.

[justindew]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I learned that she was a superior horse. Beating Goodbye Halo didnt prove that. Crushing males in a major Derby prep does. You cant compare WC with these fillies because they have very little in common other than being female.

They're all sisters.

[King Glorious]

Well, my only point was that going out of your division doesn't mean that you will automatically be tested harder. Sometimes, the toughest tests can come within your own division. IMO, that was the case with Winning Colors in 1988 and that's the case with Eight Belles in 2008.

[Thunder Gulch]

Winning Colors ran against Forty Niner and Risen Star. Too early to know, but I suspect we don't have those two in the race this year.

I understand what you guys are saying about earnings in races restricted to fillies. Consider, however, that the purses for those are less, so they have to run better more consistently to match total graded earnings. A couple of thirds in smaller fields for the colts does the same as winning the Ashland? Which is better?

[slotdirt]

If the Derby field is 18 instead of 20 and it's because of two cross-entered fillies, surely Churchill will either change the earnings system or allow A/e. Or hopefully both.