On Whats And Ifs
With the controversy that ensued Bayern’s victory in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic, one can only wonder to what point a jockey can be held liable for his actions, and what that means regarding the credibility of the sport.
As a follower of different racing circuits, I can testify that it’s happening almost everywhere. You know, the questionable results, betting scandals, rigged races, and almost anything you can imagine in between.
Puerto Rico is one that comes to mind as a very recent example.
And while many asked for an investigation or disqualification, I’m sitting here wondering if that would really solve anything or if that is even remotely possible.
Martin Garcia may have been in the spotlight, but too much brightness can also blind us to the possibility of other fixes during a race, or the opening up of the fact that accidents do happen and we might be predisposed to judge them as a fix. Anything can be rigged if you decide to watch it through that lens.
I was glad to see Bayern win, and what that says about my character of lack thereof, is beyond me. Perhaps my age (52 going on 10) has seen me trying to enjoy my life experience rather than trying to control anything and everything around me. That may sound more like an arrogant statement, but it is born strictly from the recognizing that some things are beyond control because of the infinite amount of variables involved.
Some have said that this is horrible for horse racing and this is why the sport is dying, but there again I have my questions. Is this the first time that controversy has followed a race? Is the sport truly dying or it just going through a cycle of ups and downs like everything else?
So it’s your turn. How do we fix the thing that needs fixing even if it isn’t broke? Is there any surefire way to fix the possibility of corruption? How do you truly know something is rigged beyond any doubt?
Would you have disqualified Martin Garcia in this highly controversial race? How would you have decided on the final result? Do you think I’m too lenient in my deductions and something definitely needs to be done?
I am all too anxious to be corrected and await your response.
I like the ruling the way it stood. I think that he definitely impeded Shared Belief, however Shared Belief probably would have had plenty of time to recover and settle. I think that the next problem, where he steadied and boxed a bit, caused him more problem than the initial break. JMO, but I would have left the way it was.
Those were my exact thoughts as well after the race but dared not say a word during the mayhem. Glad to see someone agree. 🙂
I also agree that the time when Shared Belief was pulled back while boxed in actually caused more difficulties for him than the starting-gate collision…
But Bayern’s number should have come down. He not only interfered with Shared Belief, he wiped out most of those inside him.
I’ve been wondering if the result would have stayed the same had California Chrome finished second.
Maybe this all leads to an eventual rematch and Garcia being out of the picture altogether?
We shall have to wait and see……..
I don’t totally disagree with ya Kid, but he’s only responsible for his error. You can’t say that any other horse, that ran into another was his fault. Yes, he caused the initial bump/foul, but he’s not responsible for any other horse that touches another because of that. The way the stewards usually view. I understand and agree, but he’s at fault for his initial foul, not what happens after because of horses unrelated to whom he touched or impeded. It’s so hard to take down a horse for a bad break in any of these huge races (BC, Derby, etc…) I remember saying either way I’d be ok with, although my gut said to leave him up.
I don’t agree that the rider/horse is only responsible for the first horse he hits… For example, if I was driving and rear-ended another car so hard that he hit the car in front of him, I would likely be responsible and at fault for both collisions.
I’m a regular handicapper and watch 100+ races a week. And while I see questionable races nearly everyday, one would think the biggest race of the year would be above being rigged. I would rather address the question: ‘Is racing dying or in fact dead?’ My heart wants to say ‘no way!’ this is the greatest game in the world. But my head says on it’s current path this sport can’t survive unless major changes are put in place. Starting with the takeout rates that the tracks implement. Many over 19% for a simple win bet with the worst offender being Turf Paradise @ a whopping 20.75%
http://www.sportsbettingacumen.com/horse-racing-track-takeout-chart.asp
It’s been proven by Mike Watchmaker and others that lower takeouts in racing puts more money in the betters pockets and in turn have more to wager per race in the long haul.
Another thing, wouldn’t it be cool to play a game like this where you could act like a trainer/owner or jock and decide where you wanted to ply your trade? Be an up an comer working for mounts @ Penn National maybe catching a few races at Philly Park. (I will never call it Parx) build your rep and get better horses and find mounts at Delaware or Monmouth. Ride for the winter @ Gulfstream or Tampa. Or freeze your butt off on the winter circuit up in Chicago Hawthorne. It will never happen. The NTRA put out a half-assed game on xbox and ps2 a few years ago but the next generation of betters to continue the sport have no incentive to discover this game. I truly relish every day I get to go to a track for a live race day. NOTHING in sport beats being on the rail of a track with a ticket in your hand and hearing the thunder of these magnificent 2000 lb creatures roll by. I’ve been to the greatest tracks, I’ve been to tracks that are no longer in operation (RIP Rockingham, Sportsmans Park and Great Lakes Downs) and at tracks that frankly suck (that I’ll leave nameless.) The common theme though with every track are frankly the horse. There is something very special about these animals and unless the general public support their tracks and more importantly bring their friends, sons and daughters then it’s pretty much game over for the sport. But the tracks need to do their part with giving people a reason to come out, lower takeouts and keep the sport CLEAN!
Thanks tstack for your elaborate response and deep love of the sport. Very contagious!! 🙂
I would be here all week addressing the problems of racing. I’ll stick to the B C Classic question. First of all, I am no “expert.” But I have seen an estimated 75,000 races in person and many times that number on TV.
Right after the start another old guy like me screamed and threw his program. (he had bet Bayern). When they crossed the wire, next toi Bayerns name on the program, I wrote “DQ.”
I love Bob Baffert. He is my favorite trainer. And I didn’t bet the race so no dog in this fight. But I would have bet anything that Bayern was coming down.
Just one person’s opinion.
I won’t offer an opinion if he should have come down or not, because we all know each decision made by the stewards is subjective, and it is subjective to the various conditions at play. In this case, what I THINK might have happened, is that if Shared Belief had somehow got up for 2nd, Bayern comes down for sure. Perhaps even if he got third, you can make the case that he was fouled by both Bayern and Toast of NY (stretch run). With $5 mil and championships on the line, the stewards were not going to get involved unless their hand was absolutely forced – Smith could have checked sharply, or stood up, and that might have been enough. But at the start, he can’t be thinking about showmanship… he’s still trying to get a safe and smart trip. The stewards (rightly) cannot take into account that Shared Belief was the favorite, and at no time did Bayern directly cut off Shared Belief (as far as I can tell).
I think if Toast of NY were taken down, that’d be fair in and of itself, but then it’d look weird leaving Bayern up. In a strange way, you could say that Bayern was left up because of Toast of NY’s foul.
Crazy, huh?
The real question, to me, is whether Baffert and Garcia were shrewd / illicit enough to gameplan a left turn out of the gate…get Bayern to the rail, and eliminate the rabbit (Moreno)… which I think is more likely than a deliberate attempt to jeopardize the trip of Shared Belief.
Nice take…Rack him!
Apart from 2 Countries the rest of the world follows the same rules with regard to interference and what should be done those 2 are France and the USA.
They have had their premier racing days for the global stage in the past 2 months both have had results that caused concern because they do not follow the general accepted rules. If they followed the rules everyone else has there would be no debate and no issues.
It seems pretty simple really especially when the one event is marketed as a world championship.
I actually agree with this logic. The problem is, the individual states of the USA cannot (or have no interest in) agreeing on uniform rules in regards to… almost anything in racing. World Championships? That’s just semantics. We Americans think that any sporting event final that takes place in North America is a “World Championship” 🙂
Leave him up. Most riders break with a loop in their reins trying not to jerk on the horses mouth when the horse leaves the gate. So the horse basically comes out of the gate on his own. While most break straight occasionally they break in or out. Watch some quarter horse races and you can see some real jam ups at the break. Quarter horses only have a few 100 yards to overcome a bad break. The Classic horses had a mile and a quarter.
I’m with Roys. Leave him up.
I’ve seen way too many of them break like that. They’re high-strung thoroughbreds. They’re going to do what they’re going to do. A jockey told me they try NOT to control them coming out the gate, because you’ve got all that slamming of tons of horseflesh against metal going on around them, and then that damned bell that scares half of them to death. He said even if you wanted to control them, you couldn’t.
That would be just one more thing the horse would have to handle, a jockey trying to control him, coming out of the gate.
By the way, I don’t think this is arrogant at all, when you said this:
“Perhaps my age (52 going on 10) has seen me trying to enjoy my life experience rather than trying to control anything and everything around me. That may sound more like an arrogant statement, but it is born strictly from the recognizing that some things are beyond control because of the infinite amount of variables involved.”
(I can hardly wait until I’m at the point where I stop trying to control everything around me, Billy. That’s hard, living life like that. I’m really tired of trying to control everything around me. And, I’m only 39. It’s time for me to let go of the reins, and let life take me where it’s going to take me. What’s even more tiresome is watching other people go through the same thing. When you see control all around you, it’s just utter chaos. Time for me to let it go and watch the chips fall where they may. Like, JC (Whirlwind) says, sorta: What’s the worst thing that can happen? Am I gonna die?)
Thanks for your comment. I thought I was going mad by letting everything go but you’ve put me at ease, even though I still think I’m a nutcase. Blessings.