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Originally Posted by moses
If it’s moved to September, I’m interested to see what they do with futures wagers. I’ll take a refund on my bets in Green Light Go and Chance It...but I don’t mind keeping that Oaks-Derby double I have for Wicked Whisper and Maxfield.
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I really loathe a decision to postpone. By then, the colts will be closer to being older horses than 3 year olds - the race itself is more than a test of talent, it's a test of which horses can be precocious enough to be ready for that demanding distance so early in the year and yet sturdy enough to be able to run well at that distance. Now it's just going to be a post-Travers race - too similar to the Travers, in fact it will be exactly the same. Will trainers want to run in both races? Nope, so they’d be forced to choose...
There is no reason why the Derby shouldn't be run in front of a crowdless grandstand. I would also add that the Derby would get extra coverage as pretty much the only sporting event at the time - in September, with pennant race baseball going on as well as the start of the NFL season...and maybe the Masters...it’s going to get lost.
Additionally, if the Derby is postponed, and there's no Preakness, where do these horses run? There aren't any big races within that span because of the TC.... I like Steve Haskins’ idea (from his Derby Dozen):
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Derby decision tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I assume they will postpone, so I will have to discuss with editors about ending Derby Dozen. Most of the preps look like they will run, but no sense having a Derby Dozen without the Derby. Will some track put up the money and have a 1 1/4-mile race on the first Saturday in May with 14 starters? All these horses will be all revved up with no place to go. Might be interesting to run a race at Santa Anita on Derby day. It would start at the head of the stretch just like the Derby. They could lower the purse of the SA Derby and put it towards their big race. Handle would go thru the roof with no other betting outlets around the world, TV rights and TVG and XBTV based there, and wouldnt Stronach Group love to stick it to Churchill Downs and steal their thunder?
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