Is the Kentucky Derby over-rated or is it just me?

Question

Is the Kentucky Derby over-rated or is it just me?

Answer 1

I don't know that its overrated. My problem with the race-in fact, the triple crown races in general-is the way it affects some owners and trainers. They will wreck a horse by say, taking a colt that's really suited to be a miler, he really just cant get two turns, but because the owners get "Derby Fever", they beat the horse to death to try to get it to do what it cant-that is, get a mile and a quarter. Then, they'll run 'em back in the Preakness or Belmont with the same effect, and all the while, had they kept their heads, could have had a nice colt that would've won plenty of black type at races run from a mile to a mile and an eighth-but instead, just burnt the desire to run right out of the colt. Or, they'll take a horse that desperately needs a rest and run 'em out in one of the triple crown races 'cause "they only have one shot". At the triple crown races, yeah; but with a little more patience and common sense, you could have a nice colt who could possibly, if handled with some patience, run in a Breeders cup race in the near future. Its like gold; some people get a whiff of it and all common sense goes right out the window.

Answer 2

I think it is, but I have two of my own reasons:

1) Too many horses in the field.  I know it's common in Europe to have big fields, but in the U.S., fourteen horses is generally the biggest field you see, with the exception of the Derby.  If the Derby was limited to 14 entries, it would give the horses a fairer race.

2) Not enough money in the purse.  If the Kentucky Derby is the alleged biggest race in the world, why is the purse only $2 million US?  These same horses already ran for $2 million in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile six months ago, and they'll be running for $5 million in the Classic six months from now, and they could run for $6 million in the Dubai World Cup next March.  All three Triple Crown races should be a minimum $5 million purse.  That amount of money would befit the prestige of the races.

Answer 3

Not over-rated.  The Derby is like the play-offs for other sports.  The winner has a chance for the coveted Triple Crown and big big money.

Answer 4

Completely overrated.  That is why a lot of owners and trainers are now skipping it.  I feel the best is the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles.  A true test of any horse.

Answer 5

It's just you.

Answer 6

no! it is the best 2 minutes of the year!!!

Answer 7

for horse racing fans its pretty big because its the first race in the triple crown.

not many horses have won the triple crown so getting this win first helps a great deal.

Answer 8

As a race it's not overrated.I love it!! To actually be there is nice,but if you don't have good seats,forget about seeing the actual race .You can see lots more on TV!!Unless you are rich, you can't get near the good food and the line to use the bathroom is LONG.

Answer 9

The Derby is not overated but Churchill Downs is. There are many much nicer tracks in the country.

Answer 10

I agree with Peggy Sue. It's just you.

Answer 11

Yes and no.  I think it depends on what criteria you use.

There are other races that are equally storied in tradition, such as the Belmont and the Travers Stakes;  there are races with bigger purses in the Breeder's Cup series;  there are races that are perhaps better in terms of having more Hall of Fame horses having won them or producing more leading sires of the breed.

But you can't define the cachet that the Derby has.  It's more than just a horse race, it's a pursuit of a holy grail that can be literally generations and decades in the making.  It's a legend, it's a validation of career for jockeys and trainers, it's bragging rights for a lifetime for breeders and owners, it's equine immortality.  

Yeah, it is overrated, but if you ask any American breeder, owner, trainer, jockey, what the race they would most like to win would be, I can guarantee that the reflex response would be "the Kentucky Derby."