1998 Dual Qualifiers
Dateline: 02/04/98
The 1998 Experimental Free Handicap is out now and the dual qualifiers on weight and dosage are now known. In case you aren't familiar with the angle about dosage index and the Derby, here is a summary. Horses which have a dosage index of 4.00 or less and are ranked withing 10 pounds of the highweight on the Experimental Free Handicap (or were a champion in another country) are called dual qualifiers or dualies. Since 1972, the Kentucky Derby has been won by a dual qualifier nearly every time. In recent years there have been some non-dualie winners sneak in like Grindstone, but this angle still gets a lot of support.
This year the dual qualifiers are:
| EFH Weight | Name | Dosage Profile | Dosage Index | CD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | Countess Diana (f) | 3-10-15-0-0 (28) | 2.73 | 0.57 |
| 123 | Grand Slam | 14-6-15-1-0 (36) | 3.24 | 0.92 |
| 122 | Coronado's Quest | 16-9-14-0-3 (42) | 3.20 | 0.83 |
| 120 | Lil's Lad | 5-5-14-0-0 (24) | 2.43 | 0.62 |
| 120 | Love Lock (f) | 12-4-16-0-0 (32) | 3.00 | 0.88 |
| 119 | Souvenir Copy | 20-6-28-0-0 (54) | 2.86 | 0.85 |
| 117 | Dawson's Legacy (Candian champ) | 2-0-7-4-1 (14) | 0.65 | -0.14 |
| Not nominated to the Triple Crown | ||||
| 122 | Silver Maiden (f) | 2-10-17-3-0 (32) | 1.78 | 0.34 |
| 119 | Career Collection (f) | 12-6-15-5-0 (38) | 2.04 | 0.66 |
| 118 | Vivid Angel (f) | 8-2-14-6-0 (30) | 1.31 | 0.40 |
First thing you will notice is the majority are fillies and most of them are not even nominated to the Triple Crown yet. Not many of the top males made the list this year due to high dosage figures. Grand Slam's future is doubtful due to his severe tendon injury at the Breeders' Cup in November. This might set it up for a non-qualifier to sneak in again, but still this is a good group to start off with.
Here are some additional links for more info:
- 1998 Triple Crown my collection of links to everything out there on this year's classics
- 1998 Dual Qualifiers Steve Roman's article about this year's dualies plus his picks of horses who should have been dualies but missed by a pound or two.
- 1998 Experimental Free Handicap the full list with past performances for them all
- Dominating the Experimental Free Handicap Analysis from the Thoroughbred Times
- Dosage and Two-Year-Old Form from Steve Roman the creator of the dosage index. Excellent statistical review of dual qualifiers in Triple Crown races
- Dosage Figures for Derby Winners since 1940 also from Dr. Roman
- Dosage and PDRs for 3 Year Olds of 1998 from Albin's pedigree page. PDR is Pedigree Distance Rating.
- Experimental Free Handicap Above the Standard Analysis from the Blood Horse
- 1998 Triple Crown Nominations a list of all 384 early nominations with owner/trainer info
- 1998 Triple Crown Poll vote for your favorite Triple Crown prospect
- 1998 Triple Crown Trail major prep races with results
