Was the 2019 Kentucky Derby disqualification the biggest in sports history?

[CincySportsFan]

What percentage of people in the world do you think have more than a casual (meaning caring about the Triple Crown races and a couple a handful of others) interest in horse racing?

 

0.0000001%

[Beechwoodfan]

I am at the track 48/52 weeks a year. I love it, but i see very few young faces there. I think, that unless the industry does something to market to the young folks, it is in big trouble.

[Mack The Knife]

And to think that in the first half of the 20th Century the most popular sports were baseball, boxing, and horse racing...

[Beechwoodfan]

I watched that replay over and over. I am shocked that Maximum Security got disqualified. He was the best horse in the race. If you crowd the field with that many horses, someone is going to get squeezed out occasionally. That being said, I did have a win bet on Country House.

[The Professor]

I don’t follow horse racing but do watch the Triple Crown races every year. My observation about the Derby is that it allows too many horses in the race. It’s too often overcrowded. There is bound to be some bumping and crowding with that many horses. They need to downsize the number of entries for safety issues. With less entries this DQ probably never happens.

[sumoroyal]

The horse is an animal. How can you predict what an animal is going to do. He was spooked by the crowd. I am sure not the first time that has happened.

[rjs4470]

I don’t follow horse racing but do watch the Triple Crown races every year. My observation about the Derby is that it allows too many horses in the race. It’s too often overcrowded. There is bound to be some bumping and crowding with that many horses. They need to downsize the number of entries for safety issues. With less entries this DQ probably never happens.

 

I'm not sure that you can really tie this issue to an overcrowded field. The way this race played out, this could have happened if there were only 10 horses in the field if they happened to be bunched together. Too many entries probably cause more issues at the start as horses are trying to get in off the rail quickly, than at the point in the race where this incident happened. The fact that this has never happened before makes me believe this was kind of a freak incident rather than a consistent problem.

[GrantNKY]

I am at the track 48/52 weeks a year. I love it, but i see very few young faces there. I think, that unless the industry does something to market to the young folks, it is in big trouble.

If attracting young people is the goal, yesterday set horse racing WAY back.

[TheDeuce]

If attracting young people is the goal, yesterday set horse racing WAY back.

 

Why because young people like to break the rules and get away with it? :lol2:

[GrantNKY]

Why because young people like to break the rules and get away with it? :lol2:

Young people don’t know the rules of horseracing. I’ve not come across a single person that understands why the horse was DQ. That outcomes turns people off of the sport. I watched that yesterday and was left with a bad taste in my mouth. That outcome feels wrong to me.

[Mustang]

I think that young people enjoy the horse racing experience.

Example - Keeneland in the spring and fall.

Belterra Park is packed with young upwardly mobiles on big race days.

The problem is two-fold, they don't understand the game, and don't spend much money wagering on the horses. Like many things they do, they like to hang out, while eating and drinking, and cheering on their $2 or $5 selection.

 

I broke away from professional sports about 40 years ago, and feel that I am better off being a horse player. My reasoning is that I control my own destiny, and am personally rewarded for my efforts. It is always 74 degrees where I sit, I never get rained on. My car/truck is a very short walk, and parking/admission is free.

 

Better marketing of the racing experience would probably win over many more youngsters. Most of our tracks are pretty nice places and most have casiinos attached, with many fine food options available.

[Bobby Axelrod]

I’m a “young person” and although it’s a tough break the DQ was definitely warranted. As previously mentioned in this thread if this would have happened in any random race that happened yesterday it would have been an easy DQ. Inquiries happen all the time and most are less obvious than this one.

[bugatti]

I would argue yesterday’s outcome did as much for horse racing’s popularity as anything else could have. Horse racing is about gambling. Let’s not try to compare it to other sports as far as judging it’s popularity. Not sure where horse gambling is these days, but with the easy access to it, I would say it is near an all time high.

 

As far as the question at hand, how about Zinadene Zedane head-butting Marco Materrazi late in the World Cup Final in 2006?

[oldgrappler]

I am at the track 48/52 weeks a year. I love it, but i see very few young faces there. I think, that unless the industry does something to market to the young folks, it is in big trouble.

 

Was there a time when you did see young faces at horse races? I am asking because I have never been to a horse race and I have no idea if young people are interested.

 

It seems to me that it is an event more older people would enjoy as a source of entertainment than young people. The reason I say this is that placing money on a horse race strikes me as something people do who have more discretionary funds available. It takes some time to accumulate discretionary funds, hence fewer young people with funds to spare on the races.

 

I am an older person, but I am way too cheap to enjoy losing money on a game of chance. I do not find that entertaining at all. That is just my personal preference.

 

On a side note, I was in Ann Arbor, MI yesterday and was surprised as heck to see some folks setting up for a Derby Party at a small university. They had a big tent set up, with what looked like an amply supplied bar, and valet parking with well-dressed valets. There is more interest in the Derby than I expected.

[Bobby Axelrod]

I would argue yesterday’s outcome did as much for horse racing’s popularity as anything else could have. Horse racing is about gambling. Let’s not try to compare it to other sports as far as judging it’s popularity. Not sure where horse gambling is these days, but with the easy access to it, I would say it is near an all time high.

 

As far as the question at hand, how about Zinadene Zedane head-butting Marco Materrazi late in the World Cup Final in 2006?

 

I think you’re spot on. It’s nice to have people at the track and such but TwinSpires and TVG have made it so easy to go gamble and watch at all times. Hell even when I’m at the track I’ll occasionally still just bet through the apps rather than wading through the crowd to place a bet at the window.