[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

You don't honestly think their will be real horses considering those three races as options....do you? The Marathon will be completely comprised by horses that were never even considered for the Mile or Classic.

As I've said a few times already, I don't expect any horses of quality to be in the Marathon anytime soon. I expect it to be barely above the level of an upper level claiming race. Even that may be too much to expect early on. I know it's going to be brutal to watch a bunch of slow horses staggering home down the stretch at the end of 12f. I think that the series of races they have during the year will also be horrible races. But I do think that it's a good idea and as I said, one side had to make the first move. The breeders wouldn't and I can't blame them. Maybe now, with the series and the BC race on the schedule, there is at least a little bit of incentive to try to breed horses for those kinds of races. The turning of the tide will be slow and it's never going to get back to the way it was. But at least it's a start and while maybe I'm being overly optomistic and maybe a bit naive, I think it's a move in the right direction. Time will tell. I don't think this race will take anything away from the Classic and I don't share the same concerns that you and some others have about naming the winners of every race as champions. We know better. I wouldn't care if they made the race an immediate grade one race. We know better.