New Kentucky Derby Qualifying

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Posted by Steve Leighton

The folks at Churchill Downs who host the Kentucky Derby have decided that the way we determine which horses qualify for the most exciting two minutes in sports has now changed…..

After 138 years, is it ok to make a change?

Yes, without a doubt the old system was flawed.

Why?

Several reasons:

1. Two year old earnings made a major impact while being overvalued

2. Horses that came into form late and only ran well recently could be excluded

3. Purses increased by slots at some tracks inflated the importance of mediocre races

4. Sprint races (races of distances less than a mile) were overvalued

Now what happens: it’s a simple qualifying process that we all should be able to agree upon goes something like this:

 36 stakes races of a mile or longer are included in the points system

 Horses accumulate points throughout their two and three year old campaigns

 The 20 horses with the most points after the last weekend of April qualify

 Should any of those 20 horses decide not to run, the next highest points total is in the race

It’s as simple as that and the new system is here for the next running of the Kentucky Derby which will take place on May 4, 2013. To see the list of the 36 races that are now included in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” and the points assigned to each, just click here.

Sports Line Unlimited by Steve Leighton

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