Derby : The Hype Department : Almost non existent so far

[BeatTheChalk]

About as quiet as I can recall. I mean seriously folks - nada nix zero zip.
Am I missing something here ? :bang:

[BlueChip@DRF]

You mean besides the lack of a true standout?

[Robert Goren]

It is still March.

[burnsy]

People are getting hip to the wide open, crap shoot nature of this race. You can't really love any of these horses until the last prep round and with the points system some won't even get in. In recent years besides Big Brown, the "hype" horses have been a bust. They either get hurt or there are 100 excuses after the fact, most recently Union Rags. I used to laugh when people "loved" a horse in February......and when they had Uncle Mo winning the derby in November....i had to chuckle. The horse was a flat miler, 10 furlongs was out of the question in top company. In many races the "hype" horse is a good way to make money betting against anyway. You can't win much going with them unless you hammer it or throw it in the pics. They are all on TV picking Royal Delta today at Dubai, she probably won't be the morning line 4-1. I can't possibly use that horse at that track, at this distance, with these horses other than one pic ticket at a short price. I'm guessing from the hype factor she goes off about 2-1.........underlays are the worst kind of bet.......its gambling. You will lose more races than you win....everyone does....when you win you must get paid to survive or you become a bettor that is never ahead. The hype is a great money maker when you avoid it. Besides when you lose to one of these horses you really did not miss out on anything anyway.

[Valuist]

It is still March.

Exactly. With so many big 1 1/8 mile preps within the next week or two, the media and public will latch on to somebody.

I hope they do. A good rule of thumb in racing: ALWAYS bet against hype. Sometimes they win at underlaid prices but more often than not, they burn money.

[classhandicapper]

I'm having a hard time finding a horse to like. Some of the best horses on a talent basis look suspect going long and some of the horses that have been winning the preps look like second stringers that have been taking advantage of pace and other circumstances.

[PICSIX]

You mean besides the lack of a true standout?

Exactly!

[RXB]

I'm having a hard time finding a horse to like. Some of the best horses on a talent basis look suspect going long and some of the horses that have been winning the preps look like second stringers that have been taking advantage of pace and other circumstances.

Of course they do, because many of the preps indeed are second-string, even third-string. In a span of three weeks from Sunland Derby to Arkansas Derby there are seven 3YO colt races worth $750,000-$1,000,000, which is utterly ridiculous as there isn't nearly the talent to justify so many big-money races. The purse inflation for these early-season 3YO races is absurd.