Divisional Standings (4/4/2012)

With a ton of graded stakes races taking place over the last couple of weeks, the Divisional Standings are starting to solidify after the first quarter of the year. The 3YO Colts and 3YO Fillies divisions. As in the past, you can find the complete graded stakes results and divisional standings at the link below (via Google Docs).

Graded Stakes Standings

Before we get to the Top 10 standings, an observation of the conflicting speed figures from Beyer, Bris and Equibase with the recent Kentucky Derby prep races.

Hero of Order earned a 90 Beyer for his win in the Louisiana Derby, while Take Charge Indy garnered a 95 for his Florida Derby victory. Based on Beyer, Take Charge Indy is believed to have run about three lengths better than Hero of Order. Brisnet has it 95 for Hero of Order and 104 for Take Charge Indy, suggesting Take Charge Indy was more in the neighborhood of nine lengths better than Hero of Order (With Bris Speed Ratings, one point in a route suggests one length difference). Then there is Equibase, which has Hero of Order at 107 and Take Charge Indy at 100, suggesting that it was Hero of Order, not Take Charge Indy, that ran the superior race last weekend and was approximately three lengths better than the Florida Derby winner.

Which system to believe? Honestly, we could come up with all sorts of reasons why each system could be correct. Personally, I feel like the Beyer and Bris numbers are capturing the strength of the two races more accurately than Equibase. The Florida Derby was, to me, a stronger field and I have a hard time believe that Hero of Order ran a better race than Take Charge Indy. The proverbial "flies-in-the-ointment" with all of this analysis are El Padrino and Mark Valeski.

El Padrino, in the Risen Star, beat Louisiana Derby runner-up Mark Valeski by just a nose; if you believe that El Padrino regressed off of that performance, and that Mark Valeski improved, then the Equibase numbers pencil out. And that's really what this comes down to - our opinion of the performance of El Padrino and Mark Valeski.

And with that out of the way, below are the Top 10 Divisional Standings.