A Kentucky Derby Run in September?

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of changes around the world.  Countries, provinces, states, counties and cities are under separate quarantines, depending upon where you live.  The United Kingdom has shut down horse racing completely - both on the flat and over fences.  Equestrian trials and competitions have been closed all over the world - but the United States continues to have horse racing, in some localities.
   On Saturday, 28 March, Gulfstream Park hosted the Curlin Florida Derby - without anyone in the stands or club house.  Just the horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, gate men, outriders, starter, announcer, barn workers and stewards.  A field of eight colts started in the 1 1/8 mile race, for a total purse of $750,000.  The winner was the favorite, Tiz the Law, who won by 4 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:50.00.  Second was Shivaree by 3/4 length; Ete Indien was third by a neck; and Governour Morris was fourth. The other four starters finished in this order: Independence Hall, My First Grammy, As Seen On Tv, and Rogue Element.  All were fine Sunday.
   Now, the Kentucky Derby is usually run on the first Saturday in May.  The first edition of the Kentucky Derby was actually on May 17, 1875 - and Aristides was the winner in a field of 15, at a distance of 1 and 1/2 miles.  During the first 20 years, the Derby fluctuated between the first and second Saturday in May; then settled down on the first Saturday. 
   The Preakness and the Belmont Stakes  have missed runnings - in the 1890s, and during World War I, but the Kentucky Derby has always been run in early May, in every year, since 1875. 
   The big challenge of the Kentucky Derby was for a young horse to be able to run such a great distance at such an early age.  (Remember, no matter when a foal is born - even June or July - it is counted a year old on 1 January of the following year - and 3 years old on 1 January 2020, no matter when it was actually born in 2017. - This isn't so bad in this day and age, when mares are coaxed with special lights to be ready for breeding in January; but that wasn't done in 1875.)  Many things have changed since 1875....
   With the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided to run the Kentucky Derby on September 5 of this year.  Soon after, Governor Hogan of Maryland declared the Preakness would also be run in September.  With a move to that month, the Maryland Jockey Club will have to make a decision on where to host the race. Pimlico's racing season has been abbreviated in recent years to a short window in May, anchored by the Preakness. September racing is usually held at Laurel Park.  An October Belmont Stakes would align with NYRA's racing calendar, as Belmont Park hosts fall racing between Saratoga's and Aqueduct's dates.

Tiz the Law winning the 2020 Florida Derby

  BUT that means this series of the Triple Crown the 2020 editions of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes - will forever have an asterisk beside them. - these colts will be 4 months older than all of their counterparts who ran these races before this year.  They will (possibly) have more racing experience than they would in May. They will have more training, more muscle, more life experience. They will be more mature individuals.
   They will be running over the same tracks.  They will be carrying the same weights. But they will be much different individuals in September and October than they will be in May and June.  Depending on what's happening in the world at that time, it may be much hotter or much cooler than it would have been in the Spring. 
   It will be interesting to see what happens - will track records be broken during the Triple Crown?  Will favorites make it to fall racing?  And so much depends on plain old... "racing luck"....