2 years in a row the Derby winner has decided to skip the Preakness. If they want it to stay relevant, the Preakness should have been today and the Belmont held 4th of July weekend. That's a realistic schedule for today's horses whereas the current schedule most definitely is not. It can either adapt or pretty much not exist anymore. Those are the choices.
Is it finally time to rethink the Triple Crown calendar?
- Thread starter Glenn's Take
- Start date
The problem has always been that horse racing isn't really an organized industry. Each track acts as their own little empire and nobody involved in the industry has ever looked to the future. When television was young they wanted to televise horse races but all the tracks said essentially "How can I sell hot dogs that way?". They all fought against off track betting for the same reason.
They still all act like the horse owners are their only customers and the bettors are just he riff raff they are forced to deal with. That's why there are 6 horse fields that get 2-3 scratches. Also, the disqualifications that are judged differently at every track make a lot of casual fans think they just got robbed by crooks. There are so many things that could be done to improve the sport but none of them have ever had vision beyond next quarter's earnings.
It's not coming back.
They still all act like the horse owners are their only customers and the bettors are just he riff raff they are forced to deal with. That's why there are 6 horse fields that get 2-3 scratches. Also, the disqualifications that are judged differently at every track make a lot of casual fans think they just got robbed by crooks. There are so many things that could be done to improve the sport but none of them have ever had vision beyond next quarter's earnings.
It's not coming back.
A national organization with uniform rules would be a good start. What Baffert was disqualified for a couple of years ago wasn't even against the rules in most states.
The best solution would be to move the Preakness to the first Saturday in June and the Belmont to early July . However the Belmont people dont want to do that. Only other alternative is to make the Preakness the 3rd leg later in July. With CD now owning the rights to the Preakness I think something will get done sooner than later.
I’d like to see all 3 races on the 1st of consecutive months. Keep the horses fresh and make the races much more competitive. May June July
The # of foals has declined around 45% the last 20 years. That, with the vets being super cautious these days means you are going to have a lot of short fields.
Less racing days is an alternative. The short fields are not good for the sport.
Yes and no. I get why horses dont always run and it hurts the sport but that is part of what makes the triple crown such an achievement.
As a horse owner I want to agree with you but I also realize that things have changed.
The industry has to change. Most changes are erring on the side of safety of the horses and it’s hard to argue against that.
We have lost Arlington. We are losing Aqueduct.
Someone else said the 1st Sat of May, June and July. That would be an ideal schedule
The sport needs a national governing body.
A commissioner type of set up.
Believe it or not, NY has about the same influence as Ky. If not more?
NYRA is a huge influence. There needs to be a board and there need to be a place for people like Mike Repole and Seth Hancock on that board.
Will we ever get there? I’m afraid not in my lifetime.
The sport was built on the $2 bettor. It needs to get back to that.
Saratoga and Hot Springs are communities built on and around horse racing. It’s the hub of their existence. I wish there were more of that.
Saudi Arabia and Japan are major players today. The United Kingdom has always been.
How do we have a governing body worldwide? That is the real question.
I wish I had the answers to those questions.
I know I'll lose this one too and I'm not as adamant about this change as the spacing but there is exactly 1 graded stakes race run at a mile and a half on dirt every year. They don't even have the marathon in the Breeders Cup anymore. The division they are running in doesn't exist the other 364 days of the year.
I would say it depends on what you want the results to mean. If you keep it as is you get to compare modern results to all the horses that ran since 1932 (for the most part). If you move it you don’t.
That’s a good point too. But the Belmont hasn’t been a mile and a half the last 2 two years and it’s not this year.
Still no triple crown threat. I’m glad there wasn’t because it was not a mile and a half.
There would have been asterisk talk.
This year the Preakness wasn’t at Pimlico.
Next year things get back to normal.
I hate to see Aqueduct close. But the new Belmont is magnificent.
The Churchill renovations are fantastic. The city of Louisville needs to do something about the traffic though.
Pimlico really needed this facelift. But it will still pale to Churchill and Belmont Park.
I think the sport is still doing well. Look, I’ve been a horse racing junkie since I was 16, when I first started going to Turfway Park. Things have changed immensely for the better since then. Safety for the horses. Fixing races has almost been eliminated now. I think the sport is in great shape.
They really should have just moved the Preakness to Laurel permanently. I grew up about 2 miles from Laurel though so I'm a little biased.
Some of that is because of shifting the race tracks due to renovations. The Preakness this year was shorter than usual which might deter some horses. Also this crop of horses wasn’t as good so no one probably expected to get a triple crown worthy horse. It doesn’t happen often so if you stretch out the races it diminishes the value of a triple crown.
It sounds good for tradition sake, but must owners and trainers aren't going to run their horse back in 2 weeks, especially the Derby winner. There is no doubt in mind that Sovereignty would have won the Preakness last year if he had run in it.
It does. I agree. But things have changed. When I was a young pup on the backside it was almost normal to run a horse once a week. Certainly every two weeks.
That’s just not the case now. And rightfully so.
And the vet will take a horse out of a race now with just a hint of a problem.
The sport is better and safer. The schedule is going to have to reflect that.
The probpem isnt the preakness (pimlico) they want to push the preakness back. Its New york (where I live) that are being difficult and not wanting to move the belmont stakes back . Would kinda interfere with saratoga is why I assume but for whats right for the triple crown and horse racing in general there should be a minimum 3 weeks in between races... barely any trainer wants to wheel a horse back in 2 weeks and rightfully so
How come several derby horses are still running in the Preakness then - Is it chasing the money?
Does winning the derby de incentive going to the Preakness since the money isn’t an issue anymore and they can stake out the Belmont?
Didn’t visa used to sponsor a 10 million dollar triple crown jackpot? Did that going away lessen the incentive?
Yeah, just saying "it's supposed to be hard" isn't a great answer lol. You can spread the races out a bit more which not only adds to the anticipation factor but gives the owners and trainers more of a safety net and those races will still be tough. Moreso if several from the Derby field are back in one or both of the other races. There's so much money involved and this is about the horses after all. You can't look at what we've seen in recent years with deaths and say "Eh, just a hiccup. Now let's get back to horses running their asses off back-to-back-to-back for our entertainment!" People are airing more on the side of caution and now two of the three races don't matter. That's got to change. How it changes is you move two of the races back a bit and stop clutching onto tradition because I don't think most people who pay attention to the Derby every year care about that. The Triple Crown is for the masses.
Last edited:
Agreed. Just wish they would accommodate so we can see a way better field in the preakness. Will lose its luster completely if we keep getting fields like we just has