Triple Crown Needs Major Reform

[Indulto]

http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/triple-crown-needs-major-reform/ (http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/triple-crown-needs-major-reform/)
Triple Crown Needs Major Reform
By Len Friedman AND Len Ragozin June 4, 2009... In our view, thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown is a tradition that was fine 50 years ago when, as horse people say with rare irony, horses ran on hay and oats. It is a dangerous grind in this era of chemically high-tech, high-powered training. But the five-week event puts tremendous pressure on owners and trainers to run their horses even when they suspect they shouldn’t. The racing authorities make much of the fact that the Triple Crown brings out the crowds and the money and helps keep the sport alive. The pull of tradition and the media attention can be irresistible. We suggested that Big Brown pass on the Preakness last year but he ran. And he won. Then he pulled up short in the Belmont and his racing career faded away.

With the heavy weight of evidence in our 50-year data base of thoroughbred performance to back us up we want to state the blunt truth: The Triple Crown is good for neither the horses nor the sport of racing. ...

[tucker6]

http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/triple-crown-needs-major-reform/ (http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/triple-crown-needs-major-reform/)
Triple Crown Needs Major Reform
By Len Friedman AND [color=black]Len Ragozin June 4, 2009
That article is bull crap. Maybe it has nothing to do with any of that. Maybe it has more to do with training styles these days. I don't see the heavy workout schedules of yesteryear. That may or not be good for the horses ultimate health, and may contribute to tired horses and breakdowns on the track.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Although I agree with 4 weeks between TC races, It would be so each runner can be at its peak for any of the 3 races, not because I believe the vast majority of runners have their careers cut short due to injury or overwork in those races.

[Imriledup]

I think the races should stay the same, its up to the connections to not run back in 2 weeks at Pimlico.

If you just don't even consider Pimlico, things work out great...its 5 weeks from the Derby till the Belmont. Pretend Pimlico doesn't exist.

[ryesteve]

I guess baseball needs reform too, since getting rid of steroids means guys can't hit 70 homeruns anymore. Let's move in all the fences 50 feet so we can recapture the excitement of the McGwire/Sosa/Bonds heyday.

[ManeMediaMogul]

That article is bull crap. Maybe it has nothing to do with any of that. Maybe it has more to do with training styles these days. I don't see the heavy workout schedules of yesteryear. That may or not be good for the horses ultimate health, and may contribute to tired horses and breakdowns on the track.

Nicely said!

[magwell]

Traditionist and Purist have one thing in common..... both oppose CHANGE even if its for the better .....

[rastajenk]

There is no evidence it would be "for the better." Unintended consequences are likely, consequences that would reduce the three races to....nothing much more than three races. One of those unintended consequences would be to dilute the winter/spring preps even more, and those races mean everything to places like Fair Grounds, Oaklawn, and Turfway.

The month of May is our season in the sun. We are not NASCAR, we are not the PGA, we are not ten weeks of interminable playoffs like the NBA or the NHL. Leave it alone.

[Bobzilla]

I would hate to believe that these three races run over a five week span would represent such an insurmountable hardship for a true head-of-his-class 3yo, and one that would result in lasting consequences for the balance of their racing career. If that is true then it doesn't say much for the current state of the breed or the manner in which they are trained/campaigned.

As for the Triple Crown sweep is concerned, it's not like we haven't come close to seeing it since the last time it was accomplished in 1978. This accomplishment would require a horse to be so much the best amonst his peers as to be able to regress during one of the three legs and win anyway, a good test for superiority. He/She would be so much the best that they would be able to resist the challengers of all comers, including late developers, Euro invaders and those who skipped the middle jewel. On top of that they would be able to continue their career during the second half of their sophmore season and run competitively against their elders. The adjective "great" has been used in such a flimsy manner in recent decades that the word has almost lost its relevance. I still believe that the current TC schedule is a realistic one and one that represents an appropriate test for evaluating the series' participants and determining if greatness truly is present. To alter the schedule as to taylor it to perceived limitations of the modern day thoroughbred would represent capitulation to the some of the very trends in the sport which are currently hurting it.

[Marshall Bennett]

I guess baseball needs reform too, since getting rid of steroids means guys can't hit 70 homeruns anymore. Let's move in all the fences 50 feet so we can recapture the excitement of the McGwire/Sosa/Bonds heyday.
:lol: well put . :lol:

[magwell]

I guess baseball needs reform too, since getting rid of steroids means guys can't hit 70 homeruns anymore. Let's move in all the fences 50 feet so we can recapture the excitement of the McGwire/Sosa/Bonds heyday. The only thing baseball needs is the NL to get the DH ;)

[Greyfox]

I've said elsewhere on this board, that these Triple Crown races should be spaced out 1 month apart. For instance, the first Saturday in May, June, and July.
1. This gives the sport a higher profile longer on the Sports pages.
2. It allows younger horses time to mature as a three year old.
3. It may give horses like Quality Road, The Pamplemousse, and I Want Revenge time to heal.
4. You'd likely see an increase in field size, for Preakness and Belmont most years.

Yes, the suggestion flies in the face of tradition. Our goal should not be to see who can surface as a Triple Crown winner over a gruelling 5 weeks. Our goal should be to do what's best for the horses and the game.

[oddsmaven]

I got into racing in the 70's when we had three triple crowns...at the time it seemed keeping a horse sharp for one period of time was an easier way to win all three then having them well spaced out...I recall reading that in Europe, I think the English Triple Crown, they weren't seeing it swept "because" they were "too spaced out" for the horse to hold form all that time.

However the one month spacing suggested by Greyfox makes sense in this day and age...I think if they put more than that between them though it would not make sweeping them harder, so 3-4 weeks between, I'd be in favor of.

[andymays]

I guess baseball needs reform too, since getting rid of steroids means guys can't hit 70 homeruns anymore. Let's move in all the fences 50 feet so we can recapture the excitement of the McGwire/Sosa/Bonds heyday.


You were quoted in Equidaily.com under line of the day!

http://www.equidaily.com/

Good Stuff!

[rokitman]

Basketball players run themselves ragged for a lot longer than 2 minutes on consecutive nights on hardwood and horses can't be ready to run again in two damn weeks? Perhaps they are being babied too much and that is the problem to begin with.

[ryesteve]

You were quoted in Equidaily.com under line of the day!

http://www.equidaily.com/

Good Stuff!
Thanks for the heads up!

[DanG]

• A logical progression in distance from 9f to 9.5 to 10f. 12f just doesn’t represent the modern American thoroughbred and especially the teenagers we subject to it.

• A minimum of an extra week between the 1st two legs.

• Change the weight scale to 118lbs. For each leg of the crown you don’t participate in you pick up 4 lbs.

• Triple the purse of the Derby to better reflect what it actually represents.

• Match up betting is made for the TC series.

• Organize the filly triple crown and promote it. Turn our rare 3 day national audience into potentially 6 days. When a filly does step out into the male division it will gain even more publicity.

• Establish an over-under of how many will claim nothing can be changed as if the rules were handed down on stone tablets.

[WinterTriangle]

[QUOTE=DanGthe teenagers we subject to it.[/QUOTE]

Lack of foundation is a problem.

Of course, I also think young horses should spend more time being horses, less time cooped up in barns 23 hours a day. Nature's way is the best.

[Greyfox]

• A logical progression in distance from 9f to 9.5 to 10f. 12f just doesn’t represent the modern American thoroughbred and especially the teenagers we subject to it.

• A minimum of an extra week between the 1st two legs.

• Change the weight scale to 118lbs. For each leg of the crown you don’t participate in you pick up 4 lbs.

• Triple the purse of the Derby to better reflect what it actually represents.

• Match up betting is made for the TC series.

• Organize the filly triple crown and promote it. Turn our rare 3 day national audience into potentially 6 days. When a filly does step out into the male division it will gain even more publicity.

• Establish an over-under of how many will claim nothing can be changed as if the rules were handed down on stone tablets.

Several very sensible ideas here. :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

[fmolf]

The only thing baseball needs is the NL to get the DH ;)
please...at least real baseball is played somewhere...any "t" ball manager can manage in the a.l.

[fmolf]

funny noone complains about the 5k claiming router that runs every two weeks!

[Bruddah]

I would hate to believe that these three races run over a five week span would represent such an insurmountable hardship for a true head-of-his-class 3yo, and one that would result in lasting consequences for the balance of their racing career. If that is true then it doesn't say much for the current state of the breed or the manner in which they are trained/campaigned.

As for the Triple Crown sweep is concerned, it's not like we haven't come close to seeing it since the last time it was accomplished in 1978. This accomplishment would require a horse to be so much the best amonst his peers as to be able to regress during one of the three legs and win anyway, a good test for superiority. He/She would be so much the best that they would be able to resist the challengers of all comers, including late developers, Euro invaders and those who skipped the middle jewel. On top of that they would be able to continue their career during the second half of their sophmore season and run competitively against their elders. The adjective "great" has been used in such a flimsy manner in recent decades that the word has almost lost its relevance. I still believe that the current TC schedule is a realistic one and one that represents an appropriate test for evaluating the series' participants and determining if greatness truly is present. To alter the schedule as to taylor it to perceived limitations of the modern day thoroughbred would represent capitulation to the some of the very trends in the sport which are currently hurting it.

Darn it Bobzilla you get another Amen Bruddah! Besides being insightful, eloquent and just plain well written, it hits the truth smack in the middle. :ThmbUp:

[WinterTriangle]

I would hate to believe that these three races run over a five week span would represent such an insurmountable hardship for a true head-of-his-class 3yo,

Bobzilla, I wanted to point out something about age reference. I have always thought this about children, and I apply it to horses.

We call them "3 year olds", but if you are one day before your third birthday, you have only been alive for 2 full years, only have the development that comes from 2 years of living/growing.

I tend to think of a horse who has just turned 3 as "beginning their 3rd year"..... in essence they are only 2 years old. :)

I dunno if this makes sense to anyone, but developmentally, it surely does, esp. from a physical standpoint.

[DanG]

funny noone complains about the 5k claiming router that runs every two weeks!
IMO: The 5k claimer has usually learned to protect themselves or learned to “cheat” as some horsemen call it. The TC is for the alpha sub-set and they are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are trained to a razors edge and compete until their heart and body literally red-lines. Its only human intervention that can intervene when animals compete at the highest levels.

I don’t want to sidetrack into the drug issue, but this is why it’s so incredibly dangerous when you mask an animal’s nervous (pain detection) system. If they run beyond when nature is telling hem to shut it down; I have no sympathy for the penalty accessed to the people responsible.

BTW: I do cringe when the 5k claimer is run into the ground. Especially the ones who are laying their body down to the best of their ability. Not a racing sec in the world would go for it, but I would love a maximum # of race rule over a 100 day period.

[fmolf]

IMO: The 5k claimer has usually learned to protect themselves or learned to “cheat” as some horsemen call it. The TC is for the alpha sub-set and they are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are trained to a razors edge and compete until their heart and body literally red-lines. Its only human intervention that can intervene when animals compete at the highest levels.

I don’t want to sidetrack into the drug issue, but this is why it’s so incredibly dangerous when you mask an animal’s nervous (pain detection) system. If they run beyond when nature is telling hem to shut it down; I have no sympathy for the penalty accessed to the people responsible.

BTW: I do cringe when the 5k claimer is run into the ground. Especially the ones who are laying their body down to the best of their ability. Not a racing sec in the world would go for it, but I would love a maximum # of race rule over a 100 day period.i agree one hundred percent...as a high school hockey player i tried to play thru the pain of a groin injury by taking painkillers and i ended up not only hurting that worse but hurting my knee aswell because my body unbeknownst to me was compensating for the pain
the old school trainers though always ran more and seemed to have less breakdowns...am i wrong about this...i am 50 and have been following racing since the mid 70's...why do you think this is so?...breeding?

[riskman]

IMO:
I don’t want to sidetrack into the drug issue, but this is why it’s so incredibly dangerous when you mask an animal’s nervous (pain detection) system. If they run beyond when nature is telling hem to shut it down; I have no sympathy for the penalty accessed to the people responsible

You are right on Dan. Then we have the subject of this thread on the Triple Crown, yet there are so many issues that must be addressed that are that are so much more important.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1187&catid=17:benefits&Itemid=58

[Bobzilla]

Bobzilla, I wanted to point out something about age reference. I have always thought this about children, and I apply it to horses.

We call them "3 year olds", but if you are one day before your third birthday, you have only been alive for 2 full years, only have the development that comes from 2 years of living/growing.

I tend to think of a horse who has just turned 3 as "beginning their 3rd year"..... in essence they are only 2 years old. :)

I dunno if this makes sense to anyone, but developmentally, it surely does, esp. from a physical standpoint.

I understand. I often reference the month born in parantheses for 2yo and 3yo races to help get a better sense of physical maturity. That being said no two thoroughbreds are the same. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Lemon Drop Kid a May foal? If my memory serves correctly then his Belmont win came on the heels of his true 3yo birthday. More impressive would be his Futurity win as a 2yo in the month of September. He would have been 2years 4 months. That said your point is well taken.

[Bobzilla]

IMO: The 5k claimer has usually learned to protect themselves or learned to “cheat” as some horsemen call it. The TC is for the alpha sub-set and they are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are trained to a razors edge and compete until their heart and body literally red-lines. Its only human intervention that can intervene when animals compete at the highest levels.

I don’t want to sidetrack into the drug issue, but this is why it’s so incredibly dangerous when you mask an animal’s nervous (pain detection) system. If they run beyond when nature is telling hem to shut it down; I have no sympathy for the penalty accessed to the people responsible.

BTW: I do cringe when the 5k claimer is run into the ground. Especially the ones who are laying their body down to the best of their ability. Not a racing sec in the world would go for it, but I would love a maximum # of race rule over a 100 day period.

I often wonder about this. When I see the national statistics for breakdowns per starts I can't help think there is a disproportionate number occuring in high profile graded stakes races. Unfortunately these are the same events drawing a wider viewing audience. It would seem that the alpha subset minority is not only gifted with an abundance of God given athletic talent but also an extremely high competitive spirit. These seem to be the ones who dig deeper, often times beyond the threshold of what their bodies can deliver.

Over the years I've heard it suggested that talented fillies, in particular, are given to this trait, probably one of the reasons why some have reservations when they're entered against the colts. I can't remember who said it but a horseman once stated " a filly can compete against the colts and will often times do well, but she will always leave part of herself on the track in the process". I don't know if there is any truth to this but I have heard it from time to time. Without a doubt some horses are just not wired to hit that "off" switch. I agree with you about the unconscionable use of pain killers.

[Marshall Bennett]

I hope they leave it along ( the TC ) . Otherwise toss out it's tradition , record books , hstory , won't mean shit anymore . In a game crying for recovery , I'm surprised so many or willing to corupt the one lasting draw it has . If they make just the slightest adjustment , any respect I ever had for those in charge will be out the window .

[46zilzal]

Lukas, at the Belmont PP draw, suggested 3 to 4 weeks between them to extend to July 4th and then add either the Travers or the Haskell as a fourth chapter for late bloomers, i.e the Holy Bulls and Chief's Crowns of the world who couldn't get the trip in May

[46zilzal]

I hope they leave it along ( the TC ) . Otherwise toss out it's tradition , record books , hstory , won't mean shit anymore . In a game crying for recovery , I'm surprised so many or willing to corupt the one lasting draw it has . If they make just the slightest adjustment , any respect I ever had for those in charge will be out the window .
Come on it has just been RECENTLY when all the $$$$$$ are down that the time table has been set. In years gone past the Preakness and the Belmont were on the same card at old Morris Park.

We have seen so many very good ones go down this year that someone needs to wake up and correlate the injuries with the stresses.

[DanG]

It would seem that the alpha subset minority is not only gifted with an abundance of God given athletic talent but also an extremely high competitive spirit. These seem to be the ones who dig deeper, often times beyond the threshold of what their bodies can deliver.

Over the years I've heard it suggested that talented fillies, in particular, are given to this trait, probably one of the reasons why some have reservations when they're entered against the colts. I can't remember who said it but a horseman once stated " a filly can compete against the colts and will often times do well, but she will always leave part of herself on the track in the process".
That’s an interesting point Bob and I agree.

IMO we “may” have just witnessed that with Eight Belles in the Derby. The overhead shot showed a good angle of Big Brown hitting hyper drive in the lane with enormous strides. The only horse who matched that burst was Eight Belles. (For about 5-10 strides)

Did she push her body beyond its capabilities because of her completive nature? You can’t get a more speculative observation, but I feel it’s a very real phenomenon.

The farm manager where John Henry was retired talked about how John would still race new comers along the fence line even while he was a very advanced age. He couldn’t keep up with the young guns, but he would rather die trying then not try at all.

It gets back to Fmolf’s question of why things are different today. Like most questions its probably a hundred reasons simultaneously, but there is little doubt since performance enhancing drugs the muscles, tendons right down to the skeleton are being put through stress like never before.

Watch the NBA’s Dwight Howard and try and picture those shoulders in the 50’s.
Did ‘anyone' look like Albert Pujols in Babe Ruth’s era?
I don’t see why horses haven’t undergone a similar metamorphosis when steroids have been legal and the lack of testing for designer drugs is well known.

[macguy]

Instead of changing the triple crown, perhaps change the "chemically high-tech, high-powered training" of today.

[fmolf]

Instead of changing the triple crown, perhaps change the "chemically high-tech, high-powered training" of today.
just look at all the baseball injuries from steroids that you never heard of in my youth of the sixties and seventies....torn biceps tendons...torn chest muscles...assorted ribcage tears.....calf muscle injuries ..unheard of these types of injuries to ballplayers in the sixties and seventies mostly bone injuries back then.....clean up the drugs and after a few generations of breeding we may have a sturdier horse again!...the only thing that would make them change the triple crown is if they figure out a way to make more money off of us hardcore fans and the more casual fans...then they'll change traditions be damned!

[strapper]

I'm primarily a traditionalist so I say keep things the way they are in the Triple Crown. Racing doesn't get a lot of ink as it is except for our Triple Crown series. Sure it's grueling but you don't have to run in all three. The winner of the Kentucky Derby is really the only horse who picks up the accompanying pressure to keep going.

[Charlie D]

Look at Arc and the horses that then come stateside for Breeders Cup and i think you may find these horse do not fare so well.

What does this tell us?? The Arc is a tough race and going from there to BC in a few weeks time is maybe not helping the horse(s).

Ravens Pass, Henrythenavigator, Goldikova, Conduit could have all run at Arc meet, but they didn't. Instead they were given an extra few weeks rest and i think this was a big benefit to them and it showed in thier performances at the BC

If the TC series were spaced out better as somone earlier suggested we may see similar performances in all TC races from some the of the participants.


That my two cents worth anyway.

[Indulto]

That article is bull crap. Maybe it has nothing to do with any of that. Maybe it has more to do with training styles these days. I don't see the heavy workout schedules of yesteryear. That may or not be good for the horses ultimate health, and may contribute to tired horses and breakdowns on the track.You are entitled to your opinions, but to simply ignore or dismiss the reseach and conclusions of these two authors IMO might indicate a) a lack of awareness of their accomplishments, b) an insufficient grasp of the evolving concept of thoroughbred form cycles, and/or c) ignorance of changes that have already been made to the spacing between Derby prep races and the Derby, as well as the trend toward decreased numbers of prior starts for Derby starters as a 2YO, a 3YO, and both.

Certainly there is ample evidence to encourage skepticism with regard to changes in the name of horse safety. Most opinions I've been exposed to regarding the mass conversions to synthetic surfaces in California support my own view that they were an ill-advised, inadequately-planned, hastily-implemented series of actions that have backfired despite the worthwhile rationale behind them.

As long as the Preakness continues to be run at Pimlico, there will probably be little impetus for other changes, but if there is a change in Triple Crown venues while the streak remains unbroken, I'd expect some momentum for changes in race spacing as well. Hopefully increased breeding for stamina and the success of sires such as Birdstone will help keep the distance of the final leg at 12 furlongs.

[Imriledup]

just look at all the baseball injuries from steroids that you never heard of in my youth of the sixties and seventies....torn biceps tendons...torn chest muscles...assorted ribcage tears.....calf muscle injuries ..unheard of these types of injuries to ballplayers in the sixties and seventies mostly bone injuries back then.....clean up the drugs and after a few generations of breeding we may have a sturdier horse again!...the only thing that would make them change the triple crown is if they figure out a way to make more money off of us hardcore fans and the more casual fans...then they'll change traditions be damned!


Its the same thing with ACL/MCL injuries. You didn't hear about this stuff in the old days, its a new phenomenon, athletes muscles are so big and strong that the ligaments can't withstand the pressure.

[Cholly]

Reading this thread I get pulled in opposite directions. The traditionalist argument tugs at my emotions. By nature, I want to resist yet another incursion into proud histories. But the empirical evidence here is irrefutable. Touting The Belmont as the “Test of Champions” is a sad joke. Did I read somewhere that four of the last six winners were eligible for a N1X allowance?

The Triple Crown and its attendant preps have become an equine version of Survivior…only it’s an X-World where instead of the weakest, it’s the most valiant who get voted off each week. DanG’s quote “trained to a razor’s edge and compete until their heart and body literally red-line” resonates here.

At his retirement Carl Nafzger expressed sadness about the diminishment of allowance racing. The best horses quickly abandon that tiered scheme of development and are rushed into stakes level racing.

In a better world the Triple Crown would endure unchanged…but when the roster of recent winners of its ultimate jewel lists plodders such as Sarava, Jazil, De Tara, and Summer Bird, something needs to change.

[macguy]

At his retirement Carl Nafzger expressed sadness about the diminishment of allowance racing.

I believe it was in Nafzger's book "Traits of a Winner" where he discussed that it's getting harder and harder to find first level allowance races out in New York. I believe he specifically referred to the Saratoga meet. The secretary was writing them, but they simply weren't filling.

For whatever reasons, trainers seem to just jump right from the maiden allowance win, straight to the stakes races.

I suppose it makes sense, if you're only going to start a colt 6 times before sending him out to stud, or a filly 5 times before turning her out as a broodmare, who has time for allowance races? :bang:

[fmolf]

I believe it was in Nafzger's book "Traits of a Winner" where he discussed that it's getting harder and harder to find first level allowance races out in New York. I believe he specifically referred to the Saratoga meet. The secretary was writing them, but they simply weren't filling.

For whatever reasons, trainers seem to just jump right from the maiden allowance win, straight to the stakes races.

I suppose it makes sense, if you're only going to start a colt 6 times before sending him out to stud, or a filly 5 times before turning her out as a broodmare, who has time for allowance races? :bang:
very true overnight stakes are very prevalent in ny...maybe its a marketing thing"stakes race".... some of the purses are not much higher than an n2x alw ......interesting