Why so many Derby defections? Trainers offer reasons
Brooklyn Strong’s connections felt so certain that their mission was impossible that they began preparing for the Preakness while keeping an occasional eye on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Their interest increased with each day as injuries, illness and management decisions led higher-ranking horses to withdraw from consideration.
“They were dropping like flies,” said Mark Schwartz, a 67-year-old Brooklyn native turned Florida retiree who bought Brooklyn Strong for a mere $5,000.
This past Monday, one day after trainer Brad Cox announced that Caddo River had developed a fever and would not make the Derby, Schwartz’s New York-bred gelding left Parx Racing and was bound for Churchill Downs, blissfully unaware that he is rated no better than 50-1 in the morning line.
How to explain the extraordinary chain of events that led to Brooklyn Strong’s emergence as one of the most unlikely starters in the grand history of the Run for the Roses?
With great difficulty.
Trainer Ken McPeek also benefitted from the frenetic movement. His King Fury secured a spot by winning the April 10 Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. That does not mean he supports the points system instituted by Churchill Downs in 2013.
“Most horsemen, including me, don’t like the points,” he said, adding, “We think it should be graded-stakes earnings. That’s a really great way to do it.”
He noted that the value of the March 27 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), run on a synthetic surface at Turfway Park, was increased to 100 points this season, five times the amount attached to the Lexington at Keeneland. “It’s a bit of nepotism,” said McPeek, alluding to Churchill Downs’ ownership of Turfway Park.
McPeek believes the current system “confuses fans” and urged a change of direction. “Graded stakes are the banner. They study the graded stakes every year,” he said.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has other thoughts. He believes many owners and trainers feared their horses might not have withstood the scrutiny from veterinarians as officials do everything possible to see that the nation’s premier race will be safely run.
“We’re all facing the toughest scrutiny we’ve ever had to face, so that’s probably a big part of it,” Casse said. “It’s just gotten very tough, and I understand. There is a lot of pressure on our game.
“We can see where there have been drastic changes to the good with less injuries. Everybody is trying to be as cautious as he can. That’s the good news. The bad news is every horse has his own unique way of doing things, so sometimes it’s a little tough to know with a horse if that is the way he is and that’s the way he travels. It’s very difficult.”
He suspects owners of horses with a different way of going might have elected not to go to the Derby rather than risk a late scratch. “It used to be that you have to pass inspection once or twice,” Casse said. “Now, it’s every day. That could very well be part of it.”
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen noted how dramatically costs associated with competing in the Derby have risen.
“It’s expensive to run if you don’t have success in it, and there is a lot of money out there as an alternative,” Asmussen said. “Fifteen or 16 of them are about to lose money. Not only are they going to lose money, but it’s going to cost them from running in a spot they most likely would have been one of the favorites in a race worth a lot of money. That has to be considered also.”
However it happened, Brooklyn Strong is poised to enter the starting gate for the 147th Derby, unlikely to prove he belongs in a race with such a glorious tradition.