Penn. Derby now a $1mill. race

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

Too bad there aren't enough grade 1 caliber horses to make this race interesting. Probably be a decent sized field with a standout shipin at extremely underlaid odds.

I think this will be a race for all the second tier Plecther horses that weren't good enough for the triple crown and the Haskell / Travers / Breeders Cup circuit.

[MisterB]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

I think this will be a race for all the second tier Plecther horses that weren't good enough for the triple crown and the Haskell / Travers / Breeders Cup circuit.

Cool, a 2nd tier 1 million dollar race. A trainers dream come true.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by MisterB

Cool, a 2nd tier 1 million dollar race. A trainers dream come true.

Agreed, but don't you think that given time, these second tier million dollar races will have the prestige and appropriate gradings? My thought is that eventually the money will make it respectable.

Kinda like the Delta Jackpot, it seems to be slightly gaining in significance each year. At least it seems that way to me, that every year this race garners more and more attention.

[MisterB]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

Agreed, but don't you think that given time, these second tier million dollar races will have the prestige and appropriate gradings? My thought is that eventually the money will make it respectable.

Kinda like the Delta Jackpot, it seems to be slightly gaining in significance each year. At least it seems that way to me, that every year this race garners more and more attention.

They are going to try to move this up to a G1. Not this year though

[JJP]

Nobody cares. It will have virtually no effect on the Travers. Where's the tradition in the PA Derby? SOmebody brought up the Delta Jackpot.....has anybody worthwhile come out of that race?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Closing Arguement, who was 2nd in the KY Derby as the 19th choice in the betting, ran in the Delta Jackpot race at age 2.

He wasn't much.

This years Delta Jackpot, was run at a truly insane pace, and the race fell apart late. The top two finishers raced last and 2nd to last through the early stages.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by JJP

Nobody cares. It will have virtually no effect on the Travers. Where's the tradition in the PA Derby? SOmebody brought up the Delta Jackpot.....has anybody worthwhile come out of that race?

Not yet. My point was that if the million dollar purse remains in place for a long enough time, there will begin to be worthwhile horses that come out of that race. Just wait until the first Derby winner comes from that race, which it inevitably will. Money has a way of steering traditional and therefore relevance. Its easy now to merely shrug off the relevance of the Delta Jackpot, however my prediction is that in five years it will become something that many Derby types point towards.

[MisterB]

Originally Posted by JJP

Nobody cares. It will have virtually no effect on the Travers. Where's the tradition in the PA Derby? SOmebody brought up the Delta Jackpot.....has anybody worthwhile come out of that race?

O I think you may be mistaken. If a trainer thinks he will get his socks knocked of in Saratoga, don't think he or she won't be thinking about this one.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by MisterB

O I think you may be mistaken. If a trainer thinks he will get his socks knocked of in Saratoga, don't think he or she won't be thinking about this one.

Absolutly, I agree. Don't overlook the PA Derby. A million dollars speaks volumes. And when trainers are looking more down the road at the Breeders Cup and don't want to burn up their horses. Four weeks between the Haskell and PA Derby will start to sound a little more inviting.
The Breeders Cup has done alot to change the way trainers look at even the most pretigous races. You don't have to look any farther than last years embarrassing edition of the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
I think NYRAor who ever takes over should not look down their noses at this and truley considered this a legitmate threat.