I was so pumped when I received my Hydra pet from Alhazred for the Lv48 Balance Quest. My Hydra received Pip-O'Plenty at Teen (like it is scripted to), and the Talents it received at Adult, Ancient, and Epic were all Selfish ones :? So I decided to race it in the Pet Derby; only one problem: I NEVER get matched, and if I do, it stays at "Waiting for opponents to confirm..." until I log out (usually ~30 minutes afterward). So I was VERY displeased to see that my Hydra I worked so hard to raise had 3 useless Talents, all because I can;y get matched in Pet Derby. So what I would like to know is, "Why aren't I getting good Pet Derby matches?"
You are matched according to your pet's age. The younger the pet, the more likely you are to get a match. Pets that have reached epic age are a lot rarer in the game and so it will take longer to get a match. From my experience anyway.