Pimlico Special Not Being Carded This Year

[KirisClown]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

The thing is this just encourages everyone to wait even longer to start a top horse. There are now no two turn G1s on the dirt for older males on the east coast between the Donn on 2/3 and the Suburban on 6/30. That is doing nothing towards improving the quality of racing year round.

Maybe they'll be show up in the Met Mile or Stephen Foster instead...

If there's one thing racing does not need... it's more Grade 1s. The less the better at this point...

[slotdirt]

I don't think this is your average GI race though. Lots of history here.

[slotdirt]

Though I don't think any of us should be surprised. The once prestigious Laurel Futurity is no longer graded. This is the fate of Maryland racing.

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

I don't think this is your average GI race though. Lots of history here.

EXACTLY!! History and tradition are the one thing that horse racing has that many other sports don't have. Pro baseball has it; pro basketball doesn't. Racing was the sport of choice for our early presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Jackson); Congress recessed for a day to go see a match race in Maryland between two champions; the great North-South match between American Eclipse and Henry in the 1820s drew tens of thousands of people from all over the country to the Union course on Long Island before the days of railroads.

Long histories of stakes races allow us bring of the names of winners of the past who have become immortals, implying the same fate is possible for today's winner. The Pimlico Special (like the Saratoga Special) was originally a winner-take-all race - no purse money for second, third, etc, which made it truly special; only horses who really had a chance to win would run. Maybe a return to that sort of race for $300K would generate some interest and still open up some money for overnight purses.

[slotdirt]

Just look at the horses who won this race:

War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Tom Fool, Skip Away, and many more.

I actually look forward to this race more than the BES on the day before Preakness. It's really too bad.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Just look at the horses who won this race:

War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Tom Fool, Skip Away, and many more.

I actually look forward to this race more than the BES on the day before Preakness. It's really too bad.

I bought Preakness tickets this year entirely for the reason that I could catch the Special the day before and make a two day track trip out of it. I couldn't care less about the Black Eyed Susan so am pretty pissed about this. At least the Oaks draws good horses.

[slotdirt]

Well, Ashado got her butt beat by Silmaril on the BES undercard in 2005. That was star power. Last year, you could have seen the American debut of Invasor. This year, you'll have to settle for Ramon Dominquez's horse being placed first in the Black Eyed Susan for no apparent reason.

That reminds me, I still need to buy my Preakness seats.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Well, Ashado got her butt beat by Silmaril on the BES undercard in 2005. That was star power. Last year, you could have seen the American debut of Invasor. This year, you'll have to settle for Ramon Dominquez's horse being placed first in the Black Eyed Susan for no apparent reason.

That reminds me, I still need to buy my Preakness seats.

Yeah, that four horse field in the slop, where Ashado lost, still sends shivers down my spine.

My favorite part about that day? I would have to say the windows being completely fogged over in the dining room, due to the horrible weather, so you couldn't even see outside.

[ddthetide]

[quote=SniperSB23]I bought Preakness tickets this year entirely for the reason that I could catch the Special the day before and make a two day track trip out of it. I couldn't care less about the Black Eyed Susan so am pretty pissed about this. At least the Oaks draws good horses.[/QUOTE

at the risk of sounding dumb i'll ask this anyway.
why doesn't the BES draw better than it does?

[dr. fager]

at the risk of sounding dumb i'll ask this anyway.
why doesn't the BES draw better than it does?

imo, nobody is interested in sweeping the Ky Oaks, BES, Acorn....the KY Oaks is more prestegious and a lot of owners/trainers won't run back in 2 weeks.

could be off...who knows.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by ddthetide

at the risk of sounding dumb i'll ask this anyway.
why doesn't the BES draw better than it does?

It is a G2 and is only 2 weeks after the Oaks. The Preakness has a tough enough time getting the Derby horses back in two weeks so it is even harder to get them to come back for a G2. Plus running in the G2 BES hurts your chances of being ready for the G1 Acorn three weeks later.