Hey guys,
The Road to the Roses fantasy challenge starts this weekend! Its at www.roadtotheroses.com.
I went ahead and created a FF league since it was so much fun last year 
League Name: Final Furlong
League Identifier: 4056274660
Activation Code: 2418516743
Best of luck everyone!
I joined- I did it last year, but joined kind of late and missed out on the league. I think it will be fun! Being a college student, I haven’t had much time to follow real life racing, but I hope I didn’t make terrible picks! Time will tell- I think the road to the Derby will be very interesting! Good luck everyone!
I must have missed this last year 
but i joined! I dont really get it though, like I do but it’s all new. Any tips?
Joined!
Well, from having done this and the breeder’s cup version, you really just have to pick the horses you think will run the best for you. You will get points if the horses you pick run well in Derby Prep races, and doing well in the Derby itself is worth bonus points. So, it might be wise to pick horses who will-
A) Horses that will win prep races and gain you points
or
B) Horses that are likely to win/run really well in the Derby
or
C) All of the Above.
There might also be a lesser known horse that you are partial to or something that you throw in your string.
For trainers, I picked one trainer who has multiple nominations and another that is the trainer of one of the favorites. Of course you could pick anyone, but a trainer with a horse that probably won’t even start on Derby day isn’t going to do you any good. The more horses (and, the more really quality horses) a trainer has nominated, the better chance you have of the trainer winning you points in Derby prep races, and the better chance that one of their horses could win the Derby.
For jockeys, I picked my favorite jock (who happens to have a few derby options), and another jock that is on some of the better horses that’ll be going into the Derby. Sure, he can only ride one horse on Derby day, but it might be worth it if I can get points before the actual race. Also, I’m assuming he’s probably going to ride his best option to win when it comes down to it, so hopefully it’s a good move.
Also, you might want to pay attention to the daily racing form or something, see who’s running well, but also be wary of choosing horses who are leaning away from the Derby trail or are injured.
Hope that helped!
Thanks Taylon!
I’ve already picked my horses, hope their good ones! Unfortunatly I realized that one of them was injured AFTER i picked him. Oh well, he could always come back from his injuries right? Now I picked jockeys and trainers that have ridden/trained some of my better horses, is this a wise choice?
He could come back, but in reality, there’s less than three months till the derby, so depending on injury severity, that might not be a lot of time to come back and prep for the big race.
For jockeys and trainers, it probably wasn’t a bad decision to pick trainers/jockeys for your favorite horses. Like I said, one of my trainers is the trainer of one of the favorites. I also went with one trainer who has more than 10 horses nominated, because there’s a high probability that he’ll have at least one of them race.
Picking popular, big name jockeys is never really a bad idea either- they get first call from stables, etc. A popular jockey like John Valazquez will always have a good mount. However, if whatever rider you pick, no matter how big a name, rides the favorite, and the favorite wins, you’ll definately come out looking good.
I hope my advice helps, and isn’t too far off! I’m just a college student and I’ve never seriously handicapped; I just do what seems logical. That, and it’s all totally subjective… that’s why it’s fun!
Best of luck to everyone!
Doubling up by picking a jockey or trainer for your favorite horse can get you some nice points if the horse does well. It’s a balancing act between trying to get maximum coverage for the races, and getting the maximum combo of points. The only bad thing about putting all your eggs in one basket is that if the horse gets injured or doesn’t do well, and if he’s the only horse for your trainer or jockey, then it can pretty much torpedo your chances. Therefore I’d only do it if the trainer/jock is associated with several Derby nominees as well as your favorite.
If I remember correctly you’ll also get a chance to draft a few more horses at a later point, so you’ll be able to augment your stable in case one of your horses is taken off the Derby trail.
It was pretty fun competing last year. Good luck and have fun.
Joined the league. Been waiting for the site to open since the derby site opened up.
Exciting stuff, thanks for the tips everyone! I’m really looking forward to this, good luck everyone
I signed up. Now to see how long until I forget to check my ponies every weekend. 
I joined.
I joined. Doubt I’ll have time though. 
Im in
but doesnt it seem like there are alot of good horses to pick from this year?