So What Did We Learn?

Tweet Another triple crown season is in the books and the count is now at 32 consecutive years without a horse taking down the three race series.

So what did we learn?

1) The best horse during the Derby prep season, Eskendereya, never made it to the gate of a triple crown race. Eerily similar to last year's best horse in training prior to the first Saturday in May, I Want Revenge who scratched the morning of the Derby. I think I jinxed Esky by buying a Zayat shirt the week before the Derby....note to self...buy the shirt after the first leg.

2) The Preakness appears to once again produce perhaps the best 3yo. The last six winners of the Preakness are Lookin at Lucky, Rachel Alexandra, Big Brown, Curlin, Bernardini and Afleet Alex. Not a bad crew.

3) The Belmont continues to be one of the most difficult races to handicap for me. The added distance, the unknown of how the pace scenario will unfold and the addition of new blood to the series all can humble the best handicappers. Kudos to Paul Daley of the Lowell Sun who nailed the win, exacta and trifecta in his pre-race selections.

4) Folks continue to complain about the major networks not showing the race before the big event (Woodford, Dixie and Manhattan) on all three telecasts. It hasn't happened in the past few years, and I wouldn't expect this to change. The TV coverage is for the event only and not horse racing purists. We need to deal with this. Hardcore racing fans have difficulty understanding this, the networks shouldn't pull/block the simulcast feed though, this is what we should be yelling about. If we can't watch it on NBC/ABC, let us watch it on the simulcast feed. Blocking it only makes us angry and write nasty things about you.

5) The momentum we gained in 2009 with Rachel Alexandra's super season that drove national interest in the sport to recent highs, seems to have waned. It's tough sledding when a pre-race song gets more play in the media (and racing blogs) then the race itself. Ugh.

So what do we have to look forward to in the coming months here in our little niche of a sport?

- With the 3yo division wide open (some would say in disarray) going into the summer, it should set up some great racing in races such as the Haskell, the Jim Dandy and the Travers on the East Coast.

- Is Rachel Alexandra ready to step up her game after a couple of second place finishes against older fillies and mares or will her connections say uncle?

- Zenyatta. Quality Road. Breeders' Cup Classic for the ages?

- 40 days of racing at the Spa. While some of the racing may be watered down, the Stakes races are second to none.

- Keeping an eye on the Monmouth experiment. So far, so good.

- The Canadian Triple Crown. (psst....the Queen is coming!)

- The return of the aforementioned, I Want Revenge.

What are you looking forward to?