Watching TVG Gulstream Oaks cometstors said extending qualifying points for. Oaks N Derby. Shouldn’t the original closing dates stay the same??
Swiss Skydiver wire to wire AWESOME!
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Good question. I can see it both ways.
If they want to keep as much “Kentucky Derby” authenticity as possible, they probably should keep the qualification the same.
With that said, horses will be horses and we all know how much changes between the first weekend in May and September. Horses will peak at different times, horses will get injured, horses will recover from injuries, etc. To have the best race possible with the best three year olds, I can see why they would extend the qualification. Otherwise you might have someone like an Arrogate emerge over the summer and get left out of the race.
Also, who knows how many of those qualifying races will get canceled with the COVID-19 mess.
Handicapping would be a bit of a nightmare if horses had to qualify by April followed by an entire summer of racing that doesn’t “count” towards the Kentucky Derby.
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