DRF Derby Chat w/Beyer tonight

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Only four can win according to "his" speed figures; Big Brown, Gayego, Z Fortune & Recapturetheglory.....I'm tossing them.

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

Only four can win according to "his" speed figures; Big Brown, Gayego, Z Fortune & Recapturetheglory.....I'm tossing them.

I'm not tossing Big Brown or Z Fortune.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

Only four can win according to "his" speed figures; Big Brown, Gayego, Z Fortune & Recapturetheglory.....I'm tossing them.

i don't think he is off the mark at all on this. based on speed alone I would have to agree him.

[blackthroatedwind]

I think the entire chat seems to reflect at least a muted disinterest in this Derby by a lot of people.

[fpsoxfan]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I think the entire chat seems to reflect at least a muted disinterest in this Derby by a lot of people.

Which is slightly disappointing to me. Sure it's a down year, but it's still
imo the greatest horse racing day of the year.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by fpsoxfan

Which is slightly disappointing to me. Sure it's a down year, but it's still
imo the greatest horse racing day of the year.

I think it's encouraging in many ways that people don't just buy the " it's the Derby - it must be great " argument.

This year's Derby is like going to a great restaurant and getting a lousy meal.

[fpsoxfan]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I think it's encouraging in many ways that people don't just buy the " it's the Derby - it must be great " argument.

This year's Derby is like going to a great restaurant and getting a lousy meal.

I'm still hoping we have a "Diamond in the Rough". Very good analogy though.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I think it's encouraging in many ways that people don't just buy the " it's the Derby - it must be great " argument.

This year's Derby is like going to a great restaurant and getting a lousy meal.

Pretty fair assessment. I was comparing it last night to going to Vegas and staying at the El Cortez.

Normally Beyer has a pretty passionate opinion on the race and he didn't seem excited at all about any of the runners. Other than Big Brown, and sentimental choice Smooth Air, I don't either.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by philcski

Pretty fair assessment. I was comparing it last night to going to Vegas and staying at the El Cortez.

Normally Beyer has a pretty passionate opinion on the race and he didn't seem excited at all about any of the runners. Other than Big Brown, and sentimental choice Smooth Air, I don't either.

Where is the El Cortez, I have never even heard of that place...

[XIIPointStables]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I think it's encouraging in many ways that people don't just buy the " it's the Derby - it must be great " argument.

This year's Derby is like going to a great restaurant and getting a lousy meal.

Hopefully we'll still get plenty of dumb money in the pools and get some solid Pick 3 and Four payouts. But agreed with the assessment of the Derby itself.

[Gate Dancer]

That was about as uninspiring as I've ever seen Mr. Beyer. What a colossal waste of time. He usually writes an article for the Washington Post which names his Derby pick on Friday, and I hope that's better, but that was incredibly vanilla.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I think it's encouraging in many ways that people don't just buy the " it's the Derby - it must be great " argument.

This year's Derby is like going to a great restaurant and getting a lousy meal.

I agree here totally. The biggest problem in the game today, IMO, is that too many people sit on their hands and are afraid to change things up. You often accuse me of being some sort of visionary with all of these outside the box ideas but I really think that the game needs more people like me, people that aren't afraid to challenge old standards and create new ones. Sitting stagnant and just putting the product out there figuring that by name alone, you will be ok, is dangerous. I think that's what we are seeing with the Derby and the Triple Crown. I think that the sport has been tremendously lucky that there have been so many Derby/Preakness winners over the past 20 years that have help keep the interests up. But all one has to do is look at the Belmont numbers when there is no TC on the line and compare to when there is. To say it's like night and day is an understatement. I also feel that the luck is going to run out and we are going to hit a stretch where there will be 3-5 TC winners over the course of a decade and then people will start to wonder why it's become so easy and that will create new problems. I truly feel that several changes need to be made to the Derby and the TC series in order to keep it ahead of the times. Trying to keep old traditions in a new era just won't work. You've got to adapt to the era and change accordingly, move forward or die in your place.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I agree here totally. The biggest problem in the game today, IMO, is that too many people sit on their hands and are afraid to change things up. You often accuse me of being some sort of visionary with all of these outside the box ideas but I really think that the game needs more people like me, people that aren't afraid to challenge old standards and create new ones. Sitting stagnant and just putting the product out there figuring that by name alone, you will be ok, is dangerous. I think that's what we are seeing with the Derby and the Triple Crown. I think that the sport has been tremendously lucky that there have been so many Derby/Preakness winners over the past 20 years that have help keep the interests up. But all one has to do is look at the Belmont numbers when there is no TC on the line and compare to when there is. To say it's like night and day is an understatement. I also feel that the luck is going to run out and we are going to hit a stretch where there will be 3-5 TC winners over the course of a decade and then people will start to wonder why it's become so easy and that will create new problems. I truly feel that several changes need to be made to the Derby and the TC series in order to keep it ahead of the times. Trying to keep old traditions in a new era just won't work. You've got to adapt to the era and change accordingly, move forward or die in your place.

what would you do to the TC series to move it forward and adapt to the new era that wouldn't render it insignificant and detached from history? traditional things shouldn't have to stay ahead of the times or else they're not traditions anymore.

why do you characterize having 3-5 TC winners in a decade as "luck running out". do you really feel that the big problem in racing is not enough triple crown winners?

[fpsoxfan]

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

Only four can win according to "his" speed figures; Big Brown, Gayego, Z Fortune & Recapturetheglory.....I'm tossing them.

I would only throw one, maybe two of those four. I'm slowly becoming a
Denis of Cork fan. He has "piqued" my curiosity.

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

That's not true at all.

Those are the only ones with triple digit figures as 3 yr.olds...right?