Looking Back in Time The past 20 years or so have brought out some prime examples of both sides of the coin. Back in the money era, when earnings determined who made the Derby, a trio of examples comes to mind. First, let’s look back at the 1999 Blue Grass, when an under-theradar colt named Menifee (above) stormed from the back of the pack to beat Cat Thief, Vicar, Lemon Drop Kid and Wondertross, amongst others. Menifee, with just a second in the Tampa Bay Derby to his credit, had only $30,000 in graded stakes earnings to that
point and desperately needed a top finish to make the Derby. Conversely, Cat Thief, Vicar, Lemon Drop Kid and Wondertross, all stakes veterans with plenty of earnings accrued, were assured starting spots in the Derby. If you correctly surmised that Menifee needed a career-best effort, while the others could afford to use the Blue Grass as the prep that it was, then you got paid to the tune of $17.40, while the aforementioned chased at 5-1, 5-2, 4-1 and 9-5. The 2001 Wood provided a perfect example of ―Who is trying to win today, and who is trying to get 33