Kentucky Derby Winner Blows Off Preakness: David Papadopoulos

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomePMN BusinessKentucky Derby Winner Blows Off Preakness: David PapadopoulosThe second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown is in danger of fading into oblivion.Author of the article: You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.DeVaux celebrates after winning the Kentucky Derby. Photo by Michael Reaves /Photographer: Michael Reaves/Get(Bloomberg) — The second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown is in danger of fading into oblivion.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountFor decades, the Preakness Stakes was must-watch TV for millions of casual viewers for one simple reason: to see if the vaunted Kentucky Derby winner could post back-to-back victories and set up a Triple Crown bid in New York.But for the second year in a row — and third time in five years — the trainer of the Derby winner has decided to skip the Preakness and let their horse rest up for the Belmont Stakes next month.This almost never used to happen. In the previous three decades, only two Derby winners were held out of the Preakness, and in both cases it was because they left Louisville hobbled (and would never race again).Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againBut times change, and, just like in baseball or football, so do training methods and norms. So while the two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness used to be considered plenty of time to replenish a horse’s energy after a race, it’s deemed far too little now by most top trainers. This includes Cherie DeVaux, the fabulous trainer who became the first woman ever to condition a Derby champion when Golden Tempo surged from last to first at Churchill Downs two weeks ago.Over the past five years, DeVaux hasn’t run a single horse two times in the span of 14 days, according to data compiled by the Daily Racing Form. (And I’d bet she never has in her entire eight-year career.)Without Golden Tempo — or for that matter, four of the top five Derby finishers — to scare off the trainers of mediocre horses, a whole hodge-podge of wannabes and randos has shown up for the Preakness.One horse lost his last three races by a combined 36 lengths. Another lost his last two by 33 1/2 lengths. Heck, one of the expected favorites — a big star in the race — was beaten by 11 1/2 lengths in his last start.In all, 14 of them will be wedged into the starting gate late Saturday afternoon, and one of them, I suppose, has to win. But will anyone beyond gambling degenerates like me even notice? The evidence from the last five years is pretty clear: No Derby winner = no national buzz = no TV viewers for NBC and the Maryland racing industry. So racing officials in Baltimore need to stop clinging to history and push back the Preakness by another week or two — which, in turn, will prompt New York officials to do the same with the Belmont.To traditionalists, this is heresy, I know. The tight spacing between the three races, they argue, is essential to maintaining the purity of the Triple Crown — and to ensuring that only the true greats pull off the feat. But it’s not like the schedule has never been changed before. For much of the mid-20th century, there was only one week between the Derby and Preakness. And there were often four weeks, instead of the current three, between the Preakness and the Belmont.Would a change lure all the Derby trainers, like DeVaux, who prefer to rest their horses four weeks, or more, between races?No, but it’d definitely help. And horse racing, in Maryland and across the country, needs all the help it can get right now.(David Papadopoulos, an executive editor at Bloomberg News, is a voter in the thoroughbred industry’s Eclipse Awards. He has been publishing his Triple Crown picks for over a decade but, mystified by this year’s rag-tag Preakness field, has taken DeVaux’s lead and decided to pass on the race.)This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.