Idea for Post Position

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by dprtulsa

I think Orb was badly compromised by the #1 post.

How about letting the Derby winner have the choice of Post Position in the Preakness as a reward for winning the Derby? Why should it be random?

The triple crown races are like playoffs, a winner should get some advantage in the next round, since it can't be a "home court " or "home field", how about a post postion pick?

THe best horses should not have to rely on random luck in the Preakness/Belmont post position draws.

Then allow the Preakness winner to have post position choice in the Belmont with the Derby winner second choice. That also might encourage the owners to run even in non triple crown races.

Just my thoughts...but I do not see any downside to it

Maybe they could all get trophies for participating too!

[Cannon Shell]

Why not just let the Derby winner have a head start?
Why not give the Super Bowl winner the number 1 pick in the draft?

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

Maybe they could all get trophies for participating too!

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Why not just let the Derby winner have a head start?
Why not give the Super Bowl winner the number 1 pick in the draft?

I did get a smile thinking about letting the Derby winner pick it's own Preakness post. I wonder what Orb would have done if left to his own devices 30 feet behind the starting gate. Which post would Orb have chosen, given a light tap on the rump?

--Dunbar

[pointman]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Why not just let the Derby winner have a head start?
Why not give the Super Bowl winner the number 1 pick in the draft?

Why stop there, why not just let the Derby winner win? This way we will always have a triple crown on the line!

But then, why not just let them win the Belmont too?

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by pointman

Why stop there, why not just let the Derby winner win? This way we will always have a triple crown on the line!

But then, why not just let them win the Belmont too?

Horses from the West Coast should only have to win the Derby and Preakness to be considered Triple Crown winners. Flying over the Rockies ought to count as the first leg of the Triple Crown for them.

[Danzig]

hell, just present the horses and let everyone vote. top vote getter wins. that way peta gets off racings back too. and every ticket would be a winner. yay, everyone wins!

[miraja2]

I don't like the idea and wouldn't support changing anything. Its a horse race and I think it is best to just select the post positions as they do in every other race.

But, that being said, the reaction to the suggestion here seems a bit over the top. Let's say they did make the change suggested....who cares? It wouldn't affect much. How often does post position really play a big role in the Preakness? We aren't talking about a 9f race at GP, or the 20-horse field of the Derby, where post position is often determinative.

So, there's no real point in doing it, but there's no real harm either.

[HaloWishingwell]

People get so desperate for a Triple Crown winner they come up with the craziest things. Why try to water down the achievement or the challenge? Let them earn it the traditional way like everyone else did. Orb flat out lost. He ran a great and his best race in the Derby. But it was just one race and the Preakness was a totally different condition in many ways.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by miraja2

I don't like the idea and wouldn't support changing anything. Its a horse race and I think it is best to just select the post positions as they do in every other race.

But, that being said, the reaction to the suggestion here seems a bit over the top. Let's say they did make the change suggested....who cares? It wouldn't affect much. How often does post position really play a big role in the Preakness? We aren't talking about a 9f race at GP, or the 20-horse field of the Derby, where post position is often determinative.So, there's no real point in doing it, but there's no real harm either.

[pointman]

Originally Posted by miraja2

I don't like the idea and wouldn't support changing anything. Its a horse race and I think it is best to just select the post positions as they do in every other race.

But, that being said, the reaction to the suggestion here seems a bit over the top. Let's say they did make the change suggested....who cares? It wouldn't affect much. How often does post position really play a big role in the Preakness? We aren't talking about a 9f race at GP, or the 20-horse field of the Derby, where post position is often determinative.

So, there's no real point in doing it, but there's no real harm either.

I disagree and think it is really logical why this would be a problem. Inevitably, whether you agree or not, there will be those who will claim when the next triple crown winner comes around that they had an advantage that the previous triple crown winners did not, that the accomplishment is watered down and should come with an asterisk.

It seems like every year when people realize that there will not be a triple crown winner the calls come for changes to the rules. Winning the triple crown is an accomplishment that only the best horses can attain, they are the horses that can win despite whatever may be thrown at them. It is what makes the accomplishment so difficult and special.

I wanted Orb to win the Preakness, but at the end of the day, for whatever reason, whether it was the dynamics of the race, the fact that certain horses IMO were not run in the manner that gave them the best chance to win, or whether he simply is not good enough, Orb does not deserve to be amongst that elite group since he could not overcome the adversity thrown at him on Saturday.

I am glad that Lukas won the Preakness, maybe it will be a wakeup call to all trainers that the most likely way someone can accomplish this is by racing their horses into experienced horses that can handle adversity instead of babying them and keeping them in the barn when they should be racing on the track.