You can find any manner of unlimited editorials regarding the weekend’s Breeders’ Cup races. We can boil it down to the four things we know for sure.1) Zenyatta’s victory in the Classic was an amazing performance against one of the best fields ever assembled for the race. We don’t have a Horse of the Year vote, so we don’t have to decide who’s more deserving – Zenyatta or Rachel Alexandra. Zenyatta showed up on the championship day and beat the best they could throw at her. Rachel did some amazing things this year beating older horses and the other two three-year-old classic winners. Tough call.
2) The Breeders’ Cup (and the entire industry) needs to rethink their fascination with synthetic racetracks. They are not the cure-all everybody hoped and this year the “dirt only” horses were clearly at a major disadvantage.
3) Not so long ago, the only numbers we cared about were on-track attendance and handle. Then it was simulcast handle. Now it’s world-wide handle and new exotic propositional wagers.
And finally,
4) Don’t put a blindfold on Quality Road. Period. Ever.
6 comments:
My opinion:
(1) Yeah...tough call as to THE HOY, but not if one is a US race industry purist that believes the BC is THE ultimate consideration;
(2) Ummmh....no. Not if one believes in the ideas and those supported by safety/welfare committee recommendations, of which syn's are a part of, albeit not universally. And a great horse with proper training can do it all, almost anytime, anywhere, regardless of conditions and competition;
(3) Not everyone involved in producing the race OR the handle shares reasonably in that world-wide pie. Also the jumping around between ABC/ESPN/TVG gave me a headache;
(4) QR ain't happy and certainly appears to be in need of better schooling and at a minimum, better understanding by the trainer as to QR's quirkiness. It's ashame and I realize crap happens, but seriously...that was embarrassing and that horse is much more capable and talented than what was observed last Saturday. QR is talking, but unfortunately the humans don't seem to be listening.
Apparent Update:
QR's psych presence of mind is so whacked, he didn't load on the plane and will be vanned back. I'm pleased that they are considering the horse and not human convenience first, but seriously....what has happened to this horse's mind???? Something is seriously off.
p.s. to the blog monitor, how about getting a bit quicker off the attention to detail monitor with regard to posts?...or don't you anticipate any?
p.s. to the blog monitor, how about getting a bit quicker off the attention to detail monitor with regard to posts?...or don't you anticipate any?
I'm not sure what you mean. Happy to reply if you can explain exactly what you are looking for... -- gp
I posted a comment early this a.m. that has still not been posted and provides commentary to your original post, point by point. That it is still not posted may lead me to believe that controversey (sp?) and dissention are not allowed on this blog. Please tell me how it went into the ethernet when it showed that it was awaiting moderation.
And you provided no comment on the sitrep re:QR loading via air, now being vanned back from SA.
Life is what it is Mr. Petty and we can't pick and choose what we want to be decided as real enough for discussion; certainly not if one is interested in the future of horse racing in the Commonwealth.
But maybe that's why the majority of racehorse owners in the Commonwealth don't bother to post here. I have been warned repeatedly about the VTA. Now let's see if this post makes it.
You have a good day.
Got it. I missed your first post in my backlog of email. I've been out of town at a funeral and I'm the only person who monitors the blog. Sorry about the delay...
I don't know what you've been warned about as far as the VTA is concerned, but I post everybody's comments and welcome/encourage as much dialog as possible.
The more the better. -- gp
This will be a tough decision for HOY between the two. Can't go wrong either way, although the last race by Zenyatta may have a lasting impression on the voters.
I guess the verdict is still out on plastic. I hope the industry comes to a consensus before we disolve into boxing where we have various authorities such as the WBA and the WBC.
Regarding the blindfolding of QR, one of the problems I saw is that when he was loaded, they did not take the blindfold off right away. Is there any kind of protocal for horses not loading from the trainers on what they can do and not do? It is a shame they cannot allow horses that do not load to start from a dead start outside the gates such as before they invented the starting gate.
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