Is it possible that the thoroughbred racehorse, bred for over 300 years, has gone so soft, from lion to lamb, in just the past 35?
Leading up to the 1978 Kentucky Derby, Affirmed, after racing nine times as a 2-year-old, won a 6 1/2-furlong allowance, the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, and the Santa Anita Derby and Hollywood Derby, both at 1 1/8 miles. That same year, Alydar, with 10 races at 2, won a seven-furlong allowance followed by the Flamingo, Florida Derby and Bluegrass, all at 1 1/8 miles, before the Derby.
How about Spectacular Bid in 1979? He ran nine times as a 2-year-old, then at 3 won the seven-furlong Hutcheson, the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, and the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby, Flamingo and Blue Grass before almost sweeping the Triple Crown.
In between all those races, these three Hall-of-Fame colts broke stopwatches in their morning workouts.
Those stiff campaigns leading up to the spring classics seem like animal abuse compared to kid-glove treatment given nowadays to Triple Crown hopefuls. Take Shanghai Bobby and Itsmyluckyday, for instance, two of the favorites for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, where both will attempt to earn enough points (100 for a win, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth) to qualify for the May 4 Kentucky Derby, limited to 20 starters.
Shanghai Bobby, 2-year-old champion of 2012 when he was undefeated in five starts, has 24 points going into the Florida Derby. Itsmyluckyday, who raced seven times at 2, only has 10 points, earned when he beat Shanghai Bobby by two lengths in the Jan. 26 Holy Bull. That was Shanghai Bobby's first start since the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup, and Itsmyluckyday's second start this year after he won the Jan. 1 Gulfstream Park Derby by 6 3/4 lengths.
Neither has raced since the Holy Bull. So the Florida Derby will be their first start in nine weeks, and then they'll have another five weeks off until the Run for the Roses — assuming they earn enough points on Saturday. But his start prior to the Spiral was an allowance score on turf at Gulfstream Park, and all his workouts since were on grass.
Making his stakes debut in the Spiral, Black Onyx rallied wide under Joe Bravo and drew off to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Uncaptured, one of last year's top 2-year-olds, who finished well for second in his first start since winning the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last Nov. 24.
ed.fountaine@nypost.com
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