2018 Kentucky Derby: Invitation Scheduled for Europe
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This week, Churchill Downs released the points schedule for the 2018 Kentucky Derby. It is not uncommon for the announcement to come with a few other changes to the overall system. In this edition, a race has been added, one race got demoted, one race was promoted, and Churchill Downs is once again reaching further to attract a field that includes other contenders from outside of North America.
Like last year at this time, I have decided that not everyone is thinking this deeply about the Kentucky Derby in September, so I have elected myself as the judge that is ready to submit a decision on these changes.
Remington Springboard Mile is in (10-4-2-1)
Finding: Upheld
Look out, Oklahoma, the Road to the Kentucky Derby is making its first stop through OKC this December. Although this race has not produced a top notch Kentucky Derby starter that went on to crack the top three, Remington Park has still sent two very fine candidates in recent years.
The most notable was Will Take Charge, son of Unbridled's Song, trained by the Hall of Famer, D. Wayne Lukas. After concluding his Juvenile season with a runner-up finish in the Remington Springboard Mile Will Take Charge began his pursuit of the roses during his sophomore season with two big wins at Oaklawn Park. After taking over the winner circle in the Smarty Jones and Rebel, the talented colt came up empty in the Kentucky Derby and finished 8th. But, the best was yet to come as he concluded his brilliant three-year-old season by winning the Travers, the Pennslyvania Derby, finishing runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Classic, and then scoring again in the Clark Handicap.
He wasn't stabled full time at Remington, and he wasn't bred in Oklahoma, but he made his way there and proved that this race can be used as an effective stepping stone in the Juvenile season.
Another recent Kentucky Derby starter that used this race to conclude their juvenile season was Suddenbreakingnews, 2016 Arkansas Derby runner-up that went on to finish 5th in the Kentucky Derby.
Besides some modest success by a few hopefuls, I like this decision even more because it adds one more Kentucky Derby Prep Season race before the conclusion of the Juvenile season.
For some connections that have their eye on the big picture and want to play their cards a little differently, they now have another option to score in an entirely new and unique geographical location. Oklahoma joins Louisiana and the Delta Downs Jackpot, New York with the Remsen Stakes, Kentucky for the Jockey Club and California with the Los Alamitos Futurity as scoring options in late November and December after the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Spiral Stakes reduced to 20-8-4-2 from 50-20-10-5
Finding: Upheld
I acknowledged my disappointment last year that this decision wasn't made sooner. While I respect this race and still want it to be included in the points schedule I have always been adamant that it was worth too many points.
With the exception of Animal Kingdom, a fine and deserving Kentucky Derby Champion, this race has done very little, in my opinion, to produce a winner that I believe was worth 50 points. Another way of saying that is: I just don't believe this should've been a "win and you're in" race on the trail to the Kentucky Derby.
Now that the points have been reduced significantly, I believe the race's value is closer to being in line with a balanced qualification process. Twenty points for the winner is a bit odd, the same as the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but it's better than it was because it may not be enough to crack the top twenty. Last year, 30 points represented the final qualifier so in that case, another top four finish outside of the Spiral Stakes would now be required.
Lexington Stakes increased to 20-8-4-2 from 10-4-2-1
Finding: Overruled
This may be viewed as my least favorable decision but this move by Churchill Downs just strikes me as a desperate play to get another Lexington winner back in the fold on Derby day. I will always remember and appreciate Charismatic and his unforgettable trail to the Kentucky Derby. I also can't forget a few of my other favorite Lexington - Kentucky Derby starters like Proud Citizen and Hansel but I'm not sold on this path anymore. Specifically, this route to Churchill Downs seemed to have more success when last minute graded stakes earnings were needed rather than points.
Additionally, the dates will not be adjusted so we can expect the race to still be held about three weeks out from the first Saturday in May. That, however, isn't my biggest issue. The points that are being awarded is. Twenty last second points added on top of points that were scored by finishing third or fourth in lower valued races could easily be enough to unseat a better and fresher contender. If the move proves to a great one I'll admit that my choice was wrong, but right now, I don't have a lot of faith in there being a Lexington winner that will contend after a short turnaround.
European Road to the Kentucky Derby
Finding: Overruled
Last year we were introduced to the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, a decision that I actually upheld. Though the partnership between the Japan Racing Association and Churchill Downs appears to be a good one it did not produce a Kentucky Derby starter in 2017. All three eligible horses turned down the invitation.
What was curious to me about the points leader in Japan, Epicharis, is that he also started in the UAE Derby, a Kentucky Derby Championship Series race. With his second place finish in that race, he technically became a dual qualifier yet his connections still bypassed the Kentucky Derby, a graded stakes race run on dirt.
The push for a global field of horses seems more like a marketing play that could result in more North American dirt contenders getting bumped from an already overcrowded starting gate. With the inclusion on the European Road to the Kentucky Derby, a seven race series made up of four turf races and three all-weather contests, the choice to leave the UAE Derby in its same place is the dominant reason for my decision.
As I stated last year, why not just create a Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby as well? If that was done then maybe I would be more agreeable with the decision to offer an invitation to the winner of the Japan and European Road to the Kentucky Derby. But since it has not, we could be looking at as many as four horses getting knocked out of the top twenty in favor of two invitations and two entries with a bad track record in the Kentucky Derby.
The UAE Derby winner proves time and time again to be a non-factor so keeping it as a points scheduled race worth 100 to the winner and 50 to the runner-up is questionable. Instead, I prefer three invitations for three different roads that end in Louisville. This result could lead to less acceptance and confirmed starters from aboard which would then allow fewer dirt horses, and their connections, getting placed on the Also Eligible list.
That concludes this year's rulings on the Kentucky Derby points schedule and additional adjustments for the upcoming year. The journey begins in just two weeks when the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs kicks things off on the road to the 2018 Kentucky Derby.
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