8/2 (MNR): West Virginia Derby (Gr. III)

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

There will be some overweights in that race - don't worry.

i figured there would be.
tis a shame that horses in a gr3 are given such light imposts tho. seems kinda crazy.
all in all, not a bad field tho. beats watching 3-5 horse fields.

[VOL JACK]

These weights that are gave out at these bush league tracks when they they have their " big day" are complete BS.

When are the racing secs. going to realize most these guys cant weigh in under 116. All it does is put the owner and trainer in a bad spot because their jock weighs more than a 2nd grader.

[Quiet Chris]

This is a very solid field for a grade 3. People just think it is better than a grade 3 because of the money involved.

What do you expect though in a year when basically every 3yr old out there is a grade 3 caliber horse.

A 95-100 beyer will win this race, but it will also win the Haskell or Travers.

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i figured there would be.
tis a shame that horses in a gr3 are given such light imposts tho. seems kinda crazy.
all in all, not a bad field tho. beats watching 3-5 horse fields.

Is this a handicap? Unlikely. This type of race is usually under allowance conditions - so much weight allowed off of the scale for not having won a race worth thus and such. Low weights means these horses haven't accomplished much yet.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Is this a handicap? Unlikely. This type of race is usually under allowance conditions - so much weight allowed off of the scale for not having won a race worth thus and such. Low weights means these horses haven't accomplished much yet.

yes, i understand all that. i just think it's a shame a grade three has so many listed at such a light weight. these are supposed to be the better horses, shouldn't they be able to carry more than 111?

[3kings]

Originally Posted by Danzig

yes, i understand all that. i just think it's a shame a grade three has so many listed at such a light weight. these are supposed to be the better horses, shouldn't they be able to carry more than 111?

I think they assign such light weight so not to discourage owners & horseman from entering. This along with 750K helps them get a bigger field and better horses. This is especially true if they are looking at other similar races this summer, PA derby etc....

[Danzig]

by the same token, having lightweight horses (literally and figuratively) can jeopardize their graded status in future. i think you'd be better off drawing the top horses, even with a small field-rather than having a no name carrying feather weight manage a surprise-and have the graded stakes committee penalize your premiere race as a result.

[ALostTexan]

Originally Posted by Danzig

by the same token, having lightweight horses (literally and figuratively) can jeopardize their graded status in future. i think you'd be better off drawing the top horses, even with a small field-rather than having a no name carrying feather weight manage a surprise-and have the graded stakes committee penalize your premiere race as a result.

Which is the major problem with racing today. The only concern, which is legitimate for the track, is to maintain their graded stakes status to keep the breeders happy. It isn't about the horseplayers, who fund the sport, but instead it is just about keeping the breeders happy.

I hear people complain about "too much racing" all of the time, which I don't disagree with, but the other problem is that there are way too many graded stakes, which only dilute the fields...

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by ALostTexan

Which is the major problem with racing today. The only concern, which is legitimate for the track, is to maintain their graded stakes status to keep the breeders happy. It isn't about the horseplayers, who fund the sport, but instead it is just about keeping the breeders happy.

I hear people complain about "too much racing" all of the time, which I don't disagree with, but the other problem is that there are way too many graded stakes, which only dilute the fields...

i think the track wants to maintain gr status so they can try to draw fans in, which means more handle-and of course you ought to be able to draw better horses if they are running for a grade. but perhaps there are too many graded races because of too many tracks, too many horses. except in detroit.

interesting to note that a gr 3 has to have a 150k minimum purse. this race has 5 times that, but is still a gr 3-due no doubt to lack of good horses to fill the field each year.

[hi_im_god]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Is this a handicap? Unlikely. This type of race is usually under allowance conditions - so much weight allowed off of the scale for not having won a race worth thus and such. Low weights means these horses haven't accomplished much yet.

not that anyone takes handicaps seriously anyway.

look at zenyatta at del mar today. wins a grade 1 last race and runs back in a grade 2. wouldn't that be worth at least 1 lb?