Penn. Derby now a $1mill. race

[horseofcourse]

Smarten also won the Pennsylvania Derby...now that was a good horse.

It pays to be the owner of an average 3 yr old colt...the money is there...everywhere!!

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by JJP

Nobody cares. It will have virtually no effect on the Travers. Where's the tradition in the PA Derby? SOmebody brought up the Delta Jackpot.....has anybody worthwhile come out of that race?

Not yet. My point was that if the million dollar purse remains in place for a long enough time, there will begin to be worthwhile horses that come out of that race. Just wait until the first Derby winner comes from that race, which it inevitably will. Money has a way of steering traditional and therefore relevance. Its easy now to merely shrug off the relevance of the Delta Jackpot, however my prediction is that in five years it will become something that many Derby types point towards.

[KirisClown]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

One of Meadow Flight's owners drove all the way from New Jersey to spend a day of racing with me at Saratoga last year....

He happened to pick the day they cancelled the races because of excessive heat. He didn't find out they had cancelled until he got to the track.

My earliest memory of the PA Derby was when the crusty old Harvy Vanier's Western Playboy won the race, over a full field, by about 20 lengths in pretty strong time.

I still hate Meadow Flight... I was so sure he'd win the Super Derby that year and he ran like ****

[MisterB]

Originally Posted by JJP

Nobody cares. It will have virtually no effect on the Travers. Where's the tradition in the PA Derby? SOmebody brought up the Delta Jackpot.....has anybody worthwhile come out of that race?

O I think you may be mistaken. If a trainer thinks he will get his socks knocked of in Saratoga, don't think he or she won't be thinking about this one.

[boswd]

Originally Posted by MisterB

O I think you may be mistaken. If a trainer thinks he will get his socks knocked of in Saratoga, don't think he or she won't be thinking about this one.

Absolutly, I agree. Don't overlook the PA Derby. A million dollars speaks volumes. And when trainers are looking more down the road at the Breeders Cup and don't want to burn up their horses. Four weeks between the Haskell and PA Derby will start to sound a little more inviting.
The Breeders Cup has done alot to change the way trainers look at even the most pretigous races. You don't have to look any farther than last years embarrassing edition of the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
I think NYRAor who ever takes over should not look down their noses at this and truley considered this a legitmate threat.

[mark2061mn]

Originally Posted by KirisClown

I still hate Meadow Flight... I was so sure he'd win the Super Derby that year and he ran like ****

i asked the same guy druggieS mentioned earlier about MF and his super derby performance, and this is what he said:

mf according to bravo couldn't handle the track from the get go,,,,he was dead last after they passed the wire the first time,,even behind concern,,,,,and while doing that he exerted so much he caused himself some trauma and bled,,,,he then was really never the same

[KirisClown]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

i asked the same guy druggieS mentioned earlier about MF and his super derby performance, and this is what he said:

mf according to bravo couldn't handle the track from the get go,,,,he was dead last after they passed the wire the first time,,even behind concern,,,,,and while doing that he exerted so much he caused himself some trauma and bled,,,,he then was really never the same

I guess that explains it all, considering how well he ran in the Haskell etc. the performance in Louisiana made no sense...

Thanks for the information...

[mark2061mn]

no problem kiri. as he's told druggieS and I a few dozen times, MF had severe respiratory problems that really hindered his performance, especially from that point on. they ended up retiring the horse because of it.