Earnings Picture entering Weekend Stakes..

[slotdirt]

19 years since a Blue Grass winner won the Derby. Why is it a GI race again?

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

19 years since a Blue Grass winner won the Derby. Why is it a GI race again?

While the Blue Grass has marginalized itself plenty since the advent of Poly, winning a final Derby prep and then the Derby isn't exactly the criteria for Gr. I status.

Since 1990...

Blue Grass: 5 Derby winners
Street Sense (2nd)
Thunder Gulch (Unpl.)
Sea Hero (Unpl.)
Strike the Gold (WON)
Undridled (3rd)

Arkansas Derby: 3 Derby winners
Smarty Jones (WON)
Grindstone (2nd)
Lil E. Tee (2nd)

Wood Memorial: 4 Derby winners
Funny Cide (2nd)
Monarchos (2nd)
FuPeg (WON)
Go for Gin (2nd)

Santa Anita Derby: 4 winners
Giacomo (Unpl.)
Charismatic (Unpl.)
Real Quiet (2nd)
Silver Charm (2nd)

Florida Derby: 6 winners
Big Brown (WON)
Barbaro (WON)
Monarchos (WON)
Thunder Gulch (WON)
Go for Gin (Unpl.)
Strike the Gold (2nd)
Unbridled (WON)

[slotdirt]

Well, yeah, but that kind of wasn't my point. Between 1995 and now, the Blue Grass has basically been a meaningless race in so far as the Derby goes, though Bluegrass Cat and Street Sense both ran there.

The Florida Derby's placement on the calendar is so schizo, I'm not sure what one can take from the six winners they've produced since 1990. All of those horses save Big Brown and Barbaro ran another prep before the Derby, no?

[AeWingnut]

I bet Pleasant Prince in the Derby future pools. <-- He's doomed.

[randallscott35]

Ice Box it is.