The Derby Trail goes through New York
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Since 1986, graded stakes
earnings have determined which horses get into the Kentucky Derby field. The Derby Trail through New York offers
four opportunities to gather graded purse money. With the October opening of
the Genting Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct those purses have already grown
and become more attractive. The
purse for the Withers (G3), to be run on Feb. 4, has gone from $150,000 to
$200,000. The March 3rd
Gotham (G3) has increased by $150,000 up to $400,000. The Bay Shore (G3) runs on April 7th, with prize
money increased by $50,000 to $250,000 and on the same day the $1,000,000 Wood
Memorial (G1) is the feature race of the New York prep races.
The New York Derby trail
actually began on Jan. 7th, when Alpha won $90,000 of ungraded stakes purse money. Trained by Kiaran
McLaughlin, this Godolphin runner earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure for the mile
and 70 yards. The Bernardini colt made an impressive 2012 return to the races
after having had gate trouble and a disappointing run in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile. A second place in the 2011 Champagne (G1) gave him $60,000 in graded stakes earnings. Alpha is being pointed to
Aqueduct’s Withers Stake.
The 2012 running of the Withers has the race adding an extra
sixteenth of a mile, moving to earlier in the Derby prep sequence, and
increasing the purse. These are
radical changes for a race with a glorious history. Past winners include great
sires, Classic and Triple Crown winners, and Hall of Famers such as: 2006
Bernardini, 1987 Gone West, 1982 Aloma's Ruler, 1967 Dr. Fager, 1953 Native Dancer, 1950 Hill Prince, 1945 Polynesian, and 1943 Count Fleet to name just
some of them. These changes were
made to try and get horses onto the New York Derby trail earlier in their
sequence.
A month later the Gotham (G3) runs at a mile and a
sixteenth distance, but for a purse of $400,000. That means $240,000 to the winner, which is probably enough
in graded earnings to get in the Derby field. The second place finisher will collect $80,000. Of course, Secretariat, the top horse in HRN’s Rankings of All-time, leads the
list of past Gotham winners. In
1989 Easy Goer set a track record
for a mile at Aqueduct with a time of 1:32-2.
April 7th
begins with the $250,000 Bay Shore (G3), which is run at seven furlongs. Even though recent winners like JJ’s
Lucky Train, Eightyfiveinafifty, and Capt. Candyman Can have not found their
way into the Derby field, they have left the race as horses with a lot of hype.
This year is the 88th
running of the Wood Memorial (G1)
that again has a $1,000,000 purse.
That means that the top two finishers should have enough to get into the
Derby field with the $600,000 and $200,000 that they would earn.
Eleven Wood winners have
gone to Louisville and won on the first Saturday in May. Six of the eleven
Triple Crown winners ran in the Wood:
1930 Gallant Fox, 1935 Omaha, 1943 Count Fleet, 1946 Assault, 1973 Secretariat,
and 1977 Seattle Slew. The
importance of this New York prep resounds with the bettors who have made 23 of
the Wood winners the Derby favorite.
Some racing’s greatest names lost the Run for the Roses as the favorite
after winning the Wood: 1953 Native Dancer, 1955 Nashua, 1957 Bold Ruler, 1967
Damascus, and 1989 Easy Goer. The
vast majority of the Wood winners go on to run in the Derby.
In January, it is quite
hard to pinpoint which Derby trail each of the contenders will take. There are several of the top future
book horses that are being prepped by New York based trainers. Todd Pletcher has Discreet Dancer,
Algorithms, Gemologist, and Overdriven.
Kiaran McLaughlin has Alpha pointed to the Withers. Michael Matz has
already run Union Rags on the New York circuit twice. Currency Swap won the
Hopeful for Terri Pompay. Jonathan Sheppard has a possibility in Ever So Lucky. Be sure to visit the HRN Kentucky Derby Contenders page.
It is really interesting
to look at which races the Derby winners have prepped. The chart shows the Ten
Most Important Derby Preps as determined by the number of Derby wins. The Wood
Memorial has produced 20 Derby victories. Also, the chart points out which prep races have had the most
winners since the 1986 graded stake earnings requirement began.
As of January 19th,
Hansen is the leading earner of graded stakes money with $1,080,000 and
Gemologist stands in the number 20 spot with $103,855. Money won on the New York Derby trail
will have a significant impact on which 20 horses find their way into the
starting gate for the 137th Kentucky Derby.
What the Nation is saying about The Derby Trail goes through New York...
UPDATE: The Withers closes with 42 nominations of which 20 are also entered in Sunday'sHoly Bull at GP. If Hansen runs in the Holy Bull that could mean a nice field at AQU. Withers nominees include: Algorithms, Alpha, Big Blue Nation, Casual Trick, Consortium, Discreet Dancer, Howe Great, My Adonis, Optimizer, Reveron, State of Play, and Trinniberg. All are nominated for the Holy Bull except State of Play.
UPDATE: Here are some purse comparisons for MSW/Allowance NW1. New York: 65/62, Parx: 45/47, Santa Anita: 56/58, Gulfstream: 52/54
Alpha looks like a legitimate Derby trail horse ... looks like the influx of money is already taking effect.
With all those purse increases, I foresee a lot of trainers opting to keep their charges in New York rather than traveling down to Florida or out to Arkansas. It will just make the Kentucky Derby all the more interesting.
Meet Matt Shifman
In the 70’s I was another one of those kids that went to the track with their fathers, and I immediately became enthralled with the excitement and challenges of handicapping. And then the charisma and dominance of Secretariat gave me a hero to follow. To this day, I still get emotional when I hear Chic Anderson’s call of the 1973 Belmont, “Secretariat is moving like a tremendous machine”.
There have been many great horses run at the shore. In 1976 I watched Majestic Light win the Monmouth Invitational, now the Haskell, in track record time, defeating Honest Pleasure, the big favorite who was in from New York. This was one of my first big wins at the track.
In the 80’s, as a disciple of Andy Beyer, I made my own speed figures because they were not available to the public. Needless to say I visited Monmouth frequently to test out the “figs”.
The 90’s allowed me to learn about the backstretch as a part owner of a few claimers that were stabled at Philadelphia Park. Not a typical owner, I mucked stalls, cooled out the horses, and watched morning works. Also, I met my wife and discovered that her grandfather bred, owned, and raced thoroughbreds on the West Virginia, Maryland circuit. Today our office is decorated with winner’s circle pictures and a vast collection of Kentucky Derby glasses.
Today’s electronic age makes it so easy to gather information about racing. I hope you use this blog to learn about Racing at the Jersey Shore.