Derby Trial renamed, moved to KDerby day
 

I understand wanting to name a race in Pat Day's honor, but this is silly. Not to add that this is nothing more than what NYRA did with moving the Met Mile to the Belmont Stakes card.

Also, it's another way to create more handle for the race after last year's fiasco to begin the meet. (Higher takeout, the Turcotte ordeal, etc.)

History always takes a back seat to money. That is always how it goes. They used to have the Handicap Triple with the Metropolitan, Brooklyn, and Suburban but now they screwed up the order and bunched 2/3 of the series on the same day. The same thing happened to the Strub Series. They got rid of the San Fernando. They also picked apart the Filly Triple Crown. All together the remaining counterparts are nothing more than a bunch of races that are between 7 and 9 furlongs that dont have the impact they once had.

Martin Panza nows works for CDI ? When you consolidate all the races of prestige onto a few big days sure you'll increase the handle for those few days, but what about the individual days for the rest of the meet ?

I think most of us know what the answer is. Other than Derby and Oaks day, it will suck and continue to do so. Not to add that the Trial was the kickoff for the Churchill meet. Now it's just another generic, faceless racing card.

I think the racing associations should respect tradition such as a series that might apear minor but if they are worried about money it wouldnt hurt them to promote races such as the Handicap Triple and offer a bonus or something. I know I am holding onto tradition which is a losing battle when it comes to money.

The Derby Trial had become more of a Preakness prep than a Derby prep. I kind of liked that, too bad. Churchill sure makes some iffy decisions when it comes to racing.

wasn't this a "last chance race' for the derby?

not anymore................

CDI management’s responsibility is not to provide a prep for The Preakness--their charge is to make moolah for their stockholders, and beaucoup of it! The added handle will more than cover the purse boost. And a race with ten extra well heeled Owners now having horses running on Derby Day means maybe 80 added sales of seats on Millionaires Row:

http://www.derbydeals.com/tickets/derby-dining-tickets

80 x $3,750=$300,000 + the juice (pun intended) on what you can be sure are grotesquely over-priced drinks not included in the $3,750 ticket price.

I’m not a shareholder, but if I was I’d say “Brilliant!

The last Derby Trial victor to win a Triple Crown race was Creme Fraiche in 1985. And unless I'm mistaken, looking at the others I believe the only one since to make an impact in a TC race was Cherokee Run (second in 1993 Preakness). Really, the Derby Trial had nothing to do anymore with the Ky Derby or the TC as a whole.

Even my unrepentant disdain for the carpetbaggers at CDI can't work up any particular reason to criticize this move.

Lesson: check first, post second. Alydeed and Macho Again also 2nd in the Preakness after winning Derby Trial.

If memory serves a horse won the Derby Trial a couple years ago and finished 4th in the Derby itself. No a bad fete.

I think that was Don't Get Mad in the Giacomo Derby.

Yes, 4th beaten 3.5 lengths (2.5 behind 3rd finisher) coming from way back in the Giacomo meltdown race. Not exactly a great accomplishment.

Let's face it, since Cherokee Run none of those horses have been genuinely competitive in the Derby or Preakness. Macho Again finished second only because someone from that abysmal group behind Big Brown had to be second. The Derby Trial long ago ceased to be relevant to the Triple Crown.

My personal experience indicates it more efficient to have others do my fact checking for me. During the same time period that is being accomplished--gratis, no less--I can be formulating Cholly's next wildly inaccurate assertion. :)