Thoughts on the Points System
Apr 15, 2013 12:47:01 GMT -5
Post by racinggal on Apr 15, 2013 12:47:01 GMT -5
I think the system made the prep races more interesting but I'm not sure it's the right way to go. Fillies have little chance and that seems wrong. Late bloomers are at a disadvantage. Here are some interesting thoughts from the media. What do all of you think?
Kentucky Derby points system mostly serves its purpose
Jennie Rees, USA TODAY Sports
With only the two "wild-card" races left for determining the horses that will race in the May 4 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs' points system largely has accomplished what it set out to do: get horses who have demonstrated ability in the longer races and are in good form into the Derby field.
The seven preps worth 100 points to the winners — virtually guaranteeing the first two finishers a spot in the Derby, no matter what they'd done before — concluded over the weekend with Saturday's $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland and the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. All that remains are Keeneland's Coolmore Lexington on Saturday and Churchill Downs' opening-night Derby Trial on April 27, worth 20 points each for the winners.
Twenty points is the "bubble" to make the field, with Blue Grass third-place finisher Charming Kitten and Louisiana Derby sixth-place finisher Code West ranking Nos.20 and 21 with 20 points each. Santa Anita Derby fourth-place finisher Tiz a Minister also has 20, but on the tiebreaker — earnings in unrestricted stakes races — Charming Kitten has the advantage.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, even with his 2-year-old champion Shanghai Bobby sidelined and early-winter favorite Violence retired with injury, has four or possibly five Derby horses. Pletcher has the winners of the Wood Memorial (Derby favorite Verrazano), Louisiana Derby (Revolutionary) and Arkansas Derby (Overanalyze), along with Palace Malice, who was second in the Blue Grass by a neck in his first start on a synthetic surface. Pletcher also trains Charming Kitten.
Pletcher is the first trainer to win the Wood, Louisiana Derby and Arkansas Derby in the same year — a stat uncovered by Churchill's publicity department. He's also the first to win the Wood and Arkansas Derby in the same season.
In addition, he has four top candidates for the Kentucky Oaks with the winners of the Gulfstream Park Oaks (Dreaming of Julia), Fair Grounds Oaks (Unlimited Budget), Bourbonette Oaks (Silsita) and the runner-up in the Gazelle (Princess of Sylmar).
Which is his stronger hand: Oaks or Derby?
"They're almost mirror images of each other," Pletcher said. "I still stand by the fact that the Derby is the hardest race to win. Period."
While virtually every trainer interviewed said the points system should be tweaked for next year, most accept and even like it.
"I think all the things everyone has talked about from the beginning still apply," Pletcher said. "That's my only issue with it: It minimizes 2-year-old racing. I think that's probably something that will be addressed, whether it's only for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile or not. ... I think Churchill has done a good job with it. They're going to have to continually look at it and improve it. But for the first try, it's gone pretty smoothly."
Four-time Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas is not sold on the new system. "It had some hiccups," he said. "I still question some of the point values on certain races. I dislike it because it disregards the body of work of a horse completely."
Rees' thoughts on the points system
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner should get more than 10 points, but only a head start, not a bye, into the Derby. Twenty-five points is about right.
The Illinois Derby, the obvious omission this year, should be a points race. The worst-case PR scenario for Churchill would be for the Illinois Derby victor to win the Preakness after being excluded from the Kentucky Derby for lack of points.
But an unofficial list of Derby prospects' graded earnings shows that Arkansas Derby runner-up Frac Daddy and Blue Grass runner-up Palace Malice would be in danger of being excluded under the old system. It's only positive that such horses are firmly entrenched in the field.
There's a case to be made that when a 3-year-old filly wins a filly stakes by 21 lengths and is nominated to the Triple Crown, as is Dreaming of Julia, she should be able to get into the Derby field if her connections so desire.
But what if you're the owner of the first horse excluded from the Derby, bumped by a filly who ran in races for which your colt was not eligible. Is that fair?
It's been proposed that the Oaks preps count toward the Derby, but at a discounted rate. That's a concept worth considering. But does that just make the points system more convoluted, when one of its selling points was supposedly being easier for the man on the street to understand?
The points system worked if you want to get the horses in the best form and best equipped to go longer distances. I'm not so sure that it filled the stated twin mission of bringing more attention to the prep races in mainstream America.
www.usatoday.com/story/sports/horseracing/2013/04/14/derby-points-system-accomplishes-its-purpose/2083061/
2 Wild Card Races
Wild Card
Date Race 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
4/20/13 Lexington Stakes 20 8 4 2
4/27/13 Derby Trial 20 8 4 2
Kentucky Derby points system mostly serves its purpose
Jennie Rees, USA TODAY Sports
With only the two "wild-card" races left for determining the horses that will race in the May 4 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs' points system largely has accomplished what it set out to do: get horses who have demonstrated ability in the longer races and are in good form into the Derby field.
The seven preps worth 100 points to the winners — virtually guaranteeing the first two finishers a spot in the Derby, no matter what they'd done before — concluded over the weekend with Saturday's $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland and the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. All that remains are Keeneland's Coolmore Lexington on Saturday and Churchill Downs' opening-night Derby Trial on April 27, worth 20 points each for the winners.
Twenty points is the "bubble" to make the field, with Blue Grass third-place finisher Charming Kitten and Louisiana Derby sixth-place finisher Code West ranking Nos.20 and 21 with 20 points each. Santa Anita Derby fourth-place finisher Tiz a Minister also has 20, but on the tiebreaker — earnings in unrestricted stakes races — Charming Kitten has the advantage.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, even with his 2-year-old champion Shanghai Bobby sidelined and early-winter favorite Violence retired with injury, has four or possibly five Derby horses. Pletcher has the winners of the Wood Memorial (Derby favorite Verrazano), Louisiana Derby (Revolutionary) and Arkansas Derby (Overanalyze), along with Palace Malice, who was second in the Blue Grass by a neck in his first start on a synthetic surface. Pletcher also trains Charming Kitten.
Pletcher is the first trainer to win the Wood, Louisiana Derby and Arkansas Derby in the same year — a stat uncovered by Churchill's publicity department. He's also the first to win the Wood and Arkansas Derby in the same season.
In addition, he has four top candidates for the Kentucky Oaks with the winners of the Gulfstream Park Oaks (Dreaming of Julia), Fair Grounds Oaks (Unlimited Budget), Bourbonette Oaks (Silsita) and the runner-up in the Gazelle (Princess of Sylmar).
Which is his stronger hand: Oaks or Derby?
"They're almost mirror images of each other," Pletcher said. "I still stand by the fact that the Derby is the hardest race to win. Period."
While virtually every trainer interviewed said the points system should be tweaked for next year, most accept and even like it.
"I think all the things everyone has talked about from the beginning still apply," Pletcher said. "That's my only issue with it: It minimizes 2-year-old racing. I think that's probably something that will be addressed, whether it's only for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile or not. ... I think Churchill has done a good job with it. They're going to have to continually look at it and improve it. But for the first try, it's gone pretty smoothly."
Four-time Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas is not sold on the new system. "It had some hiccups," he said. "I still question some of the point values on certain races. I dislike it because it disregards the body of work of a horse completely."
Rees' thoughts on the points system
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner should get more than 10 points, but only a head start, not a bye, into the Derby. Twenty-five points is about right.
The Illinois Derby, the obvious omission this year, should be a points race. The worst-case PR scenario for Churchill would be for the Illinois Derby victor to win the Preakness after being excluded from the Kentucky Derby for lack of points.
But an unofficial list of Derby prospects' graded earnings shows that Arkansas Derby runner-up Frac Daddy and Blue Grass runner-up Palace Malice would be in danger of being excluded under the old system. It's only positive that such horses are firmly entrenched in the field.
There's a case to be made that when a 3-year-old filly wins a filly stakes by 21 lengths and is nominated to the Triple Crown, as is Dreaming of Julia, she should be able to get into the Derby field if her connections so desire.
But what if you're the owner of the first horse excluded from the Derby, bumped by a filly who ran in races for which your colt was not eligible. Is that fair?
It's been proposed that the Oaks preps count toward the Derby, but at a discounted rate. That's a concept worth considering. But does that just make the points system more convoluted, when one of its selling points was supposedly being easier for the man on the street to understand?
The points system worked if you want to get the horses in the best form and best equipped to go longer distances. I'm not so sure that it filled the stated twin mission of bringing more attention to the prep races in mainstream America.
www.usatoday.com/story/sports/horseracing/2013/04/14/derby-points-system-accomplishes-its-purpose/2083061/
2 Wild Card Races
Wild Card
Date Race 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
4/20/13 Lexington Stakes 20 8 4 2
4/27/13 Derby Trial 20 8 4 2