2004 Experimental Free Handicap

Undefeated Declan's Moon tied with Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko for 2004 Experimental Free Handicap topweight.

Date: 01/26/2005

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko and Eclipse Award champ Declan's Moon share the top weight this year at 126 pounds. The Experimental Free Handicap has been published annually by The Jockey Club since 1933, and is compiled for a hypothetical 1 1/16-mile race on the dirt in the spring. Horses eligible for weighting were all 2-year-olds of 2004 that finished among the first four in graded or other non-restrictive races with an added value of $75,000 or more, run in the continental United States. The weighting committee this year consisted of racing secretaries Frank Gabriel (Arlington Park), Mike Lakow (the New York Racing Association), and Tom Robbins (Del Mar Thoroughbred Club).

Mike Lakow said, "We felt that the Juvenile was the strongest race, so Wilko had to be ranked at the top. As for Declan's Moon, he was unbeaten and defeated Wilko (who was third) in the Hollywood Futurity. So, he had to be co-high-weighted. The division was so competitive. We ranked plenty of them at 120 and higher, and we just hope they stay sound for this year."

For the fillies, the obvious choice was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and Eclipse Award champion Sweet Catomine. She was ranked at 124 pounds, seven pounds more than the next highest weight of 117 which was shared by Balletto, Sense of Style, and Splendid Blended.

The other use of the Experimental rankings is in determining which horses are "dual qualifiers" for the Kentucky Derby. Horses ranked within 10 pounds of the male topweight or who are a champion in another country and have a Dosage Index of 4.0 or less and a Center of Distribution of 1.25 or less are considered the dual qualifiers. These horses have statistically shown that they have a better chance at winning the Derby. Dual qualifiers are highlighted below in red.

For a list of all the Experimental Handicap horses with full info and statistics, check this PDF file from Blood Horse.

Back to Horse-Races.Net main page