Fed Biz off the Derby trail

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Horses are athletes and when you don't let them run often, you aren't doing them any favors. I don't care how many works and breezes and gallops you put in. Nothing compares to race conditions. Then what's worse is they space their races 6-8 weeks apart from the start and then expect that they can make it through the TC series. How can you handle coming back in two weeks when you've never conditioned for it? These guys focus so much on the Derby that it seems they forget about what happens if they win it.

Granted that few continue on very well after that two week turnaround but most of the horses that run well in the Derby do turn around and run great races again in the Preakness.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

Granted that few continue on very well after that two week turnaround but most of the horses that run well in the Derby do turn around and run great races again in the Preakness.

Super Saver didn't.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

Super Saver didn't.

He also went from wet to dry. And Lucky ran pretty well in the Derby considering.

[RolloTomasi]

Since 1980 (32 Preakness Stakes):
10 horses have won the Preakness after winning the KY Derby
10 horses have won the Preakness after being UNP in the KY Derby
6 horses have won the Preakness w/o running in the KY Derby
4 horses have won the Preakness after running 3rd in the KY Derby
2 horses have won the Preakness after running 2nd in the KY Derby

8 Derby winners ran 2nd in the Preakness
8 Derby winners were UNP in the Preakness
3 Derby winners ran 3rd in the Preakness
3 Derby winners did not start in the Preakness

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

He also went from wet to dry. And Lucky ran pretty well in the Derby considering.

I was being a bit tongue in cheek about the spacing of races and the program.

[HaloWishingwell]

it doesn't help that they can't run back quickly with the "magic potion" in their system

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

Granted that few continue on very well after that two week turnaround but most of the horses that run well in the Derby do turn around and run great races again in the Preakness.

I feel like that points to the fact that the horses would indeed do better with more activity. The horses are trained to be at their peak for the Derby and so coming back in the Preakness, they are still at that high state of readiness. What it seems like we end up seeing is that the horses make it through the Derby and then come back to run in the Preakness and/or Belmont and do well in a lot of cases but it comes with a price. Often, that price is that they end up the worse for the wear and either are retired or end up missing the rest of the season. Sure, we get some that make it through and continue to thrive like Lookin at Lucky or Shackleford, to name a couple of recent examples. But it seems like we get more examples like Animal Kingdom and Nehro. It just seems to me that when horses were running more complete 2yo seasons, there were more horses that lasted through their 3yo seasons and when the trend started slanting to "less is better", with horses running only 1-3 times as 2yos and having races spaced out 6-8 weeks apart, the number of injuries has increased.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I feel like that points to the fact that the horses would indeed do better with more activity. The horses are trained to be at their peak for the Derby and so coming back in the Preakness, they are still at that high state of readiness. What it seems like we end up seeing is that the horses make it through the Derby and then come back to run in the Preakness and/or Belmont and do well in a lot of cases but it comes with a price. Often, that price is that they end up the worse for the wear and either are retired or end up missing the rest of the season. Sure, we get some that make it through and continue to thrive like Lookin at Lucky or Shackleford, to name a couple of recent examples. But it seems like we get more examples like Animal Kingdom and Nehro. It just seems to me that when horses were running more complete 2yo seasons, there were more horses that lasted through their 3yo seasons and when the trend started slanting to "less is better", with horses running only 1-3 times as 2yos and having races spaced out 6-8 weeks apart, the number of injuries has increased.

I agree, it is (would be) nice to see more horses with 15-20 races on the yearly stats and it would likely keep them fitter for longer. Sadly, I do not think this fits in with the business side of the game.