New Kentucky Derby Points Schedule 2012-2013 vs. 2013 vs. 2014

[Man o Taz]

I have a big problem with the Hollywood Futurity at Hollywood Park and Royal Lodge from Newmarket races being nixed from the Kentucky Derby points schedule...in 2013 while they were there in 2012.

If anything last year's race schedule showed you needed more races added not less with some derby entrants making it with single digit point numbers.

No inclusion of the Illinois Derby again.

2012-2013

Kentucky Derby Prep Season Schedule

Date   Race   1st   2nd   3rd   4th
9/29/12   Royal Lodge   10   4   2   1
9/29/12   FrontRunner   10   4   2   1
10/6/12   Breeders' Futurity   10   4   2   1
10/6/12   Champagne Stakes   10   4   2   1
10/7/12   Grey Stakes   10   4   2   1
11/3/12   Breeders' Cup Juvenile   10   4   2   1
11/17/12   Delta Downs Jackpot   10   4   2   1
11/24/12   Remsen Stakes   10   4   2   1
11/24/12   Kentucky Jockey Club   10   4   2   1
12/15/12   CashCall Futurity   10   4   2   1
1/5/13   Sham Stakes   10   4   2   1
1/19/13   Lecomte   10   4   2   1
1/21/13   Smarty Jones   10   4   2   1
1/26/13   Holy Bull   10   4   2   1
2/2/13   Robert B. Lewis   10   4   2   1
2/2/13   Sam F. Davis   10   4   2   1
2/2/13   Withers   10   4   2   1
2/16/13   El Camino Real Derby   10   4   2   1
2/18/13   Southwest Stakes   10   4   2   1
Kentucky Derby Championship Series
First Leg

Date   Race   1st   2nd   3rd   4th
2/23/13   Risen Star Stakes   50   20   10   5
2/23/13   Fountain of Youth Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/2/13   Gotham Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/9/13   Tampa Bay Derby   50   20   10   5
3/9/13   San Felipe Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/16/13   Rebel Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/23/13   Spiral Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/24/13   Sunland Derby   50   20   10   5
Second Leg

Date   Race   1st   2nd   3rd   4th
3/30/13   Florida Derby   100   40   20   10
3/30/13   UAE Derby   100   40   20   10
3/30/13   Louisiana Derby   100   40   20   10
4/6/13   Wood Memorial   100   40   20   10
4/6/13   Santa Anita Derby   100   40   20   10
4/13/13   Arkansas Derby   100   40   20   10
4/13/13   Blue Grass Stakes   100   40   20   10
Wild Card

Date   Race   1st   2nd   3rd   4th
4/20/13   Lexington Stakes   20   8   4   2
4/27/13   Derby Trial   20   8   4   2

2013-2014

Kentucky Derby Prep Season Schedule
Date   Race   1st   2nd   3rd   4th
9/7/13   Iroquois Stakes   10   4   2   1
9/28/13   FrontRunner   10   4   2   1
10/5/13   Breeders' Futurity   10   4   2   1
10/5/13   Champagne Stakes   10   4   2   1
10/6/13   Grey Stakes   10   4   2   1
11/2/13   Breeders' Cup Juvenile   10   4   2   1
11/16/13   Delta Downs Jackpot   10   4   2   1
11/30/13   Remsen Stakes   10   4   2   1
11/30/13   Kentucky Jockey Club   10   4   2   1
1/4/14   Jerome Stakes   10   4   2   1
1/4/14   Sham Stakes   10   4   2   1
1/18/14   Lecomte   10   4   2   1
1/20/14   Smarty Jones   10   4   2   1
1/25/14   Holy Bull   10   4   2   1
2/1/14   Robert B. Lewis   10   4   2   1
2/1/14   Withers   10   4   2   1
2/15/14   El Camino Real Derby   10   4   2   1
2/17/14   Southwest Stakes   10   4   2   1

Kentucky Derby Championship Series
Date   Race   1st   2nd   3rd   4th
2/22/14   Risen Star Stakes   50   20   10   5
2/22/14   Fountain of Youth Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/1/14   Gotham Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/8/14   Tampa Bay Derby   50   20   10   5
3/8/14   San Felipe Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/15/14   Rebel Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/22/14   Spiral Stakes   50   20   10   5
3/23/14   Sunland Derby   50   20   10   5
3/29/14   Florida Derby   100   40   20   10
3/29/14   UAE Derby   100   40   20   10
3/29/14   Louisiana Derby   100   40   20   10
4/5/14   Wood Memorial   100   40   20   10
4/5/14   Santa Anita Derby   100   40   20   10
4/12/14   Arkansas Derby   100   40   20   10
4/12/14   Blue Grass Stakes   100   40   20   10
4/19/14   Lexington Stakes   10   4   2   1

[Man o Taz]

In 2014, the Sam. F. Davis stakes will no longer receive points either.

My feeling is that if a race is designated a Grade I race of 8.5 furlongs or more, then Churchill Downs should have to include it as a venue receiving points in order to have any credibility.

Thus, the Hollywood Futurity which will likely become a different name race next year deserves to be among the races allotting points for the Derby.

[BaroqueAgain1]

  Agree with all your points. Discarding the Hollywood (CashCall) Futurity seemed especially unkind, adding insult to injury for the last Hollywood Park meet.

[Senator L]

Stillhave not included the Illinois derby either

[Vic in Chicago]

Stillhave not included the Illinois derby either

This is a continuation of CDI's attempt to destroy Hawthorne, pure and simple.

The Illinois Racing Board should delay the start of Arlington's season until AFTER the Ky. Derby in response, and give that lucrative weekend to Hawthorne.

[Senator L]

Nearing the finish where it will only be cdi, nyra
And Stronach

[Man o Taz]

Its sad.

The notion that contraction is better for the sport is silly IMHO when with more races as a part of the points schedule they managed to have Giant Finish with 10 points and Golden Soul with 14.

Granted Golden Soul finished second in the derby - but the notion that you can have a range of entries between 150 points (Orb) and 10 points to me demonstrates that the system is flawed.

You can get 10 points from a 4th place finish in a top tier race or from 2 second place finishes and a third place finish in two year old races.

Thus, the benefits of a point system which I thought would encourage horses to race more and mean that only the best horses were in the Derby field - is a fallacy.

I know that Churchill Downs has control over who enters the Kentucky Derby, but one would think that the integrity of the sport imposes upon them a certain degree of responsibility to be more inclusive. 

[Zenyatta]

If Shared Belief doesn't make the gate because of those points, I will personally call CDI and raise hell.  I'm sure Hollendorfer will want to do the following to them:

  or better yet...   

What was their rationale for removing the Hollywood Futurity?  When I saw the points list I thought it was a mistake.  Ugh.

[Man o Taz]

They made it seem that because Hollywood Park was closing the race was no longer a factor in their press release:

"While Churchill Downs has added the Iroquois, it dropped its Derby Trial, which has been staged one week in advance of the Derby since 1982, as a "Wild Card" race. A trio of Prep Season races also was removed from the schedule: the Royal Lodge, Europe's lone juvenile race on turf; the Cash Call Futurity at soon-to-be-closed Betfair Hollywood Park, and South Florida's Sam F. Davis."

Frankly, it eliminates California's premiere two year old event while leaving all of the events out East.

Its provincial and dumb in my thinking and one of the key factors why I believe Mr. Hollendorfer is entering SB in the Sham, rather than waiting for the Robert Lewis.   

[Man o Taz]

Another problem with the Churchill Downs point totals is that ignores the threat of injury.

New Year's Day has been retired already with 10 points - he would have been tied for 5th in the standings at this point.

And, unfortunately, there are likely to be more injuries.

Thus, by reducing the number of races which qualify for points you are diminishing the quality of horses who may qualify for the Derby.

War Emblem would have been excluded from the Derby and there are likely others. 

Mine That Bird would only have had 10 points from his Grey Cup win as a two year old. 

[Man o Taz]

Examine the results at the close of 2012.

There were horses 33 with points:

Shanghai Bobby -20
Goldencents - 14
Violence - 10
Overanalyze - 10
Uncaptured-10
Power Broker-10
Steeler-10
River Seven-10
Tesseron - 5
He's Had Enough-4
Know More -4
Bern Identity - 4
Capo Bastone - 4
Fury Kapcori - 4
Dynamic Sky - 4
Normandy Invasion - 4
Frac Daddy - 4
Artigiano - 4
Den's Legacy - 3
Java's War - 2
Mylute - 2
Al Waab - 2
Indiano Jones - 2
Delhomme - 2
Dewey Square - 2
Hightale - 1
Carving - 1
Pataky Kid - 1
Oxbow - 1
Five Iron - 1
Birdman - 1
Archwarrior - 1
Quinzieme Monarque - 1

Of which, 8 made the starting gate.

There were 28 horses at the end of 2013 who had points.

Had the Cashcall Futurity been counted there would have been 30 horses since Tamarando and Bond Holder had points.

It does not seem to be an oppressive number of horses particularly given that only 8 of 33 made the starting gate in 2013.

[Dusty]

Its sad.

The notion that contraction is better for the sport is silly IMHO when with more races as a part of the points schedule they managed to have Giant Finish with 10 points and Golden Soul with 14.

Granted Golden Soul finished second in the derby - but the notion that you can have a range of entries between 150 points (Orb) and 10 points to me demonstrates that the system is flawed.

You can get 10 points from a 4th place finish in a top tier race or from 2 second place finishes and a third place finish in two year old races.

Thus, the benefits of a point system which I thought would encourage horses to race more and mean that only the best horses were in the Derby field - is a fallacy.

I know that Churchill Downs has control over who enters the Kentucky Derby, but one would think that the integrity of the sport imposes upon them a certain degree of responsibility to be more inclusive.

One would think but apparanty NOT - WHY excluse The Cash Call Futurity??? Makes no sense and no basis for doing so - Shame on Churchill

[Flanders]

If they are hoping for a spot in the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby, then the trainer should know which races have points and which do not.  They announced what the point races for the 2014 Kentucky Derby were a long time ago.  If all Shared Belief can muster is a win in the CashCall Futurity, then he really shouldn't be in the starting gate anyway.

Don't get me wrong though, I don't care for the current point system.  I'm not exactly sure what would be better though.

[Zenyatta]

If they are hoping for a spot in the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby, then the trainer should know which races have points and which do not.  They announced what the point races for the 2014 Kentucky Derby were a long time ago.  If all Shared Belief can muster is a win in the CashCall Futurity, then he really shouldn't be in the starting gate anyway.

Don't get me wrong though, I don't care for the current point system.  I'm not exactly sure what would be better though.

That said, I'm amazed there were any horses at all in the gate for that race. I believe Hollendorfer felt he was good enough to gather plenty of points in the future, regardless of the Cash Call being a Derby throw out race.

[Flanders]

That said, I'm amazed there were any horses at all in the gate for that race. I believe Hollendorfer felt he was good enough to gather plenty of points in the future, regardless of the Cash Call being a Derby throw out race.

I'm confused.  Why are you amazed there were horses in the gate?  It was a $750,000 Grade 1.