2009 Graded Stakes

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by parsixfarms

Wasn't it a Grade I for about one or two years a few years ago?

I know this is probably a minority opinion, but the Arkansas Derby doesn't deserve Grade I status. Yes, it has had an impressive list of winners in the past few years, but the overall quality of its fields has been rather mediocre, and that's what the grade should reflect.

it hasn't been a gr 1 in years (the oaklawn handicap on the other hand was a gr 1 until a few years ago, the dubai world cup has gutted that race), but has generally produced more top horses over the last few years than some other more respected preps-the blue grass for example. it's one of only two spring preps with a million dollar purse, the other being the gr 1 fla derby.
and i would think pretty much every race has a couple of good horses, followed by mediocrity, or less-for example, big browns fla derby this year.

the grading supposedly reflects what happens to top finishers in a race in subsequent starts. lawyer ron, afleet alex, smarty, curlin--good reasons to give it gr 1. also, several preps leading to the ark derby have received graded status-but it seems a bit odd that the last prep before the ark is a gr 2 as well-the winner of that race is to get the same black type as the presumed tougher race?
the only gr 1 at oaklawn now is the apple blossom.