War Pass is the top weight at 7 pounds more than runner-up Dixie Chatter.
Date: 01/24/2008
War Pass, winner of the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, received the high weight assignment of 127 pounds on the 2007 Experimental Free Handicap, released today by The Jockey Club. The 127 pounds assigned to War Pass equals last year’s high weight, Street Sense, which was the highest assignment for a colt since Favorite Trick received 128 pounds on the 1997 Experimental Free Handicap. The filly division is headed by undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Indian Blessing at 123 pounds.
The Experimental Free Handicap, published annually by The Jockey Club since 1935, is a weight-based assessment of the previous year’s leading two-year-olds, with the weights compiled for a hypothetical race at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. This year’s weighting committee of racing secretaries was composed of Ben Huffman of Churchill Downs, P.J. Campo of the New York Racing Association and Thomas S. Robbins of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
The committee weighted a total of 105 males and 99 fillies. Eligible for weighting were all two-year-olds of 2007 that finished among the top four in graded or other unrestricted races with an added value of at least $75,000, run in the continental
United States. The full lists for both colts and fillies are accessible here on the Jockey Club website.
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 with an asterisk by their name.
Note:Tomcito is also a dual qualifier with a dosage of 3.00 as he was the 2-year-old champion in Peru last year.
123 - Indian Blessing*
121 - Country Star*
119 - Proud Spell
118 - Cry and Catch Me
117 - Backseat Rhythm
117 - Pure Clan
116 - Irish Smoke
116 - Izarra
116 - Mushka
114 - Grace and Power
114 - Sea Chanter
114 - Set Play
113 - A to the Croft
113 - Elusive Lady
113 - Runforthemoneybaby
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