Poor horses running in Derby – Time it stopped

[cormack15]

I don’t think it made a difference to the result but the traffic problems encountered by Carlton House in Saturday’s Derby clearly had Ryan Moore feeling fairly irate. Now you can argue –

1. That every horse should be entitled to enter – that is part of the appeal
2. That jockeys should know which no-hopers to avoid following
3. That even the most well-qualified of horses can tumble backwards
4. That putting in some sort of merit-based entry qualification will be prone to subjectivity and, even, on occasion, debarring genuine candidates

BUT –

Surely it’s high time horses like Marhaba Malyoon and Castlemorris King were no longer allowed to line up in our premier classic and showcase event. They invariably cause traffic issues and risk turning the Derby into a fiasco.

Limit the race to horses rated 100+ I say. The chances you’d rule out a winner are next to zero. The chances you’d rule out a PR disaster much more significant. Forgetting about the PR surely it’s fair to the connections of genuine contenders, all of whom have forked out significant sums to run (as I appreciate the no-hopers have) to run and who may have mega-millions resting on the outcome, to avoid ruin their chances because of some sub-handicapper getting ‘in the way’.

[quixallcrossett]

I think you’ll find the Castlemorris King thread encompasses this very subject.

[Racing Daily]

Moore was making a song and dance about how he was carried wide, Pour Moi was even wider still, gave Carlton House an 8L start, and won the race. No excuses for me, he was beaten by a better horse on the day.
But I agree on limiting runners to those rated 90+. A once raced maiden could easily win a weak Derby and be rated lower than 100 pre race.

[cormack15]

Sorry QC – I see that.

[Author]

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