New Derby Draw Is a Real Loser

As made-for-television events go, the new format for determining starting positions for last week’s Kentucky Derby was a success only in the comedic sense, an accidental if well-timed tribute to Mo Howard and the Keystone Kops that left egg on the flushed face of its originator and perhaps only supporter. If not for Chris Lincoln, the “new” Derby draw would have been insufferable. As it was, the program was merely mind-numbing, a condition that wore off after several hours.

Lincoln’s mistake, incomprehensible though it may seem that a grown man can turn the word “six” into the number 15 by holding the pill upside down and covering the ‘S’ with his thumb, left Churchill Downs President Tom Meeker fuming. The fact that two Churchill Downs racing officials, Don Richardson and Jerry Botts, shared the podium with Lincoln, saw what was happening and failed to take action, only made the scene more bizarre. But thanks to the snafu, an embarrassment to Meeker but a welcome five minutes of yuks for the audience, there was at least something memorable amid one of the most forgettable hours in the history of racing on television.

Meeker is correctly embarrassed, but not by Lincoln’s mistake. Were it not for Meeker, Lincoln would not have had the opportunity to bungle the draw. The new format -- a perfect example of what happens when someone insists upon fixing something that is not broken -- is Meeker’s brainchild and proved to be a profound failure.

It is impossible to change the nature of a lottery or make it more interesting. The simple, straightforward draw for post position always results in some horses drawing more favorable posts than others. The new format, which determined order of selection, results essentially in the same thing.

The traditional, straightforward draw for post position takes only a few minutes. The result: Every horse has a starting position. The new format provides for 10 minutes of deliberation following the draw for order of selection. This is followed by 15 people parading up to a microphone, with each allowed another 60 seconds to announce a selection of position. The entire procedure, which spans 25 minutes and about five commercial breaks, is about as enjoyable as heartburn. The final result: Every horse has a starting position.

So what was accomplished? Time was wasted. People were bored. Lincoln came out looking foolish. So did Meeker. The end result was not meaningfully altered.

Eventually, the bleeding and the laughter will stop. Unfortunately, however, the management of Pimlico, never people to let a bad idea pass without embracing it, has elected to employ the identical format for the Preakness next week. There will be great pains taken at Pimlico to avoid a repeat of last week’s debacle. Without the comic relief, the process will be even more insufferable.

Thankfully, the New York Racing Assn. has not lost its mind. The Belmont Stakes will be drawn on Thursday morning before the race in the traditional manner. The draw will take about five minutes. In the end, every horse will have a post position, and this, after all, is the point.