you hate to lump them all together but just heard to many "stupid pinhead" type comments when I have been around trainers...maybe I just associated at the track with bad people?

He didn't ask whether O'Neil felt bad about what happened. He didn't ask if O'Neil felt terrible for Rafael. Those would have been stupid questions, but that's not what he asked.

He asked whether O'Neil feels "remorse". Remorse implies a feeling of guilt over something that you did that you know was wrong.

If a trainer runs a horse that he knows is lame and the horse breaks down and the jockey gets hurt, the trainer would probably feel remorseful (if he has a conscience).

If a trainer ran a totally sound horse that went down due to some freak incident and the jockey got hurt, the trainer would feel terrible but he would not feel remorseful. You only are going to feel remorse if you did something wrong. "Remorse" implies "painful regret over wrongdoing".

I don't think any of us know whether O'Neil feels remorse. If he thinks he ran a lame horse, then he probably feels remorse. If he thinks he ran a sound horse, then he would feel terrible over what happened but he wouldn't feel remorse.

I don't think it was a stupid question.

If you know you are sending a jock out on a lame horse you shouldn't feel remorse you should feel shame and disgust that you set up a jock to possibly die because you had to win a damn 12.5K claimer or whatever it was. Never mind that it is one of the leading jocks in the game, it doesn't matter.......tar and feather wouldn't be enough for that crime and that is exactly what is if you knew the horse was lame when you sent him out there.

So in other words Vic is stupid.

I am not going to comment on this particular horse because I don't know what his issue or issues were.

But in general, guys run horses every day that they know have serious physical problems. These horses usually don't break down but these horses are obviously at 100x greater risk than a sound horse.

If they didn't let horses run that had serious problems, the fields would be cut in half. Half of those claiming horses have serious problems. But it's not an exact science as to when or if they will break down.

All you can really do is just hope that the track vet can catch the ones that are at serious risk and not allow those horses to run. But as I said, it's not an exact science. Ever since the Eight Belles incident, the track vets out here have been much stricter. Overall, I think they are doing a really good job.

I completely agree. Trevor makes too many mistakes for my liking. I wonder if he still thinks Cannonade was running in last year's BC Turf Juvenile rather than Cannonball? Either way they are both a little over the top.

Give me Durkin any day.

I think Durkin calls horses by the incorrect names just as often as Denman, and I hate the way he breathes heavily into the mike, he was much better 15 years ago. I enjoy listening to most of the announcers around the country with the exception of Bataglia, he makes me want to jump out the window. I love both Vic and Trevor out here, they have different but enjoyable race calls that make it easy to know how the race is unfolding if your not watching the race.

More.
Creepy.
3 golf claps.

Those are the words I'd use to describe me.

Stupid for ever trying to take time to give a real feel for what goes on.

Doug O'neill is one of the nicest, caring humans I've ever met. Not Trainers. Humans.

He's felt every gamet of emotion since this terrible accident happened. Sadness that he lost a horse that he cared about and so sorry about the way he died.

Concern for Bejarano and his family. Remorse that this accident overshadowed a great opening day at Del Mar. Doubt that he could have done a better job to avoid the tragedy.

I believe that most of the people who read these messages are good and decent people. For the few of you creatins out there. Why don't you understand that the people you speak of are humans just like anybody else.

They have kids and lives and cheating husbands and alcoholic fathers and drugged out brothers and forclosed houses and racist friends and every other GD thing you can think of. Just like the rest of the world.

Just because you bet a few bucks on their horses does not give anybody the right to think they can assail the character of a man who's put his life and soul into the sport.

Boy does the internet make people brave. Not one of you Coach Pants types would have the balls to stand face to face to me, Doug or anyone else and spew your hate. Everyone of the haters should ask themselves how they'ed feel if their lives and livelyhoods were smeared all over the blogs all day everyday. How would they hold up?

I'll keep appreciating the real fan and horse lovers out there. They are the ones who make all the hard work for guys like Doug O'neill worthwhile. For the rest of you.

Well we'll just leave you to yourselves. I can think of no better way to get even.

Vic Stauffer

Very well said Vic :tro:

Outstanding comments Vic, the Internet does make a lot of people WAY too brave! :tro

As far as character goes, VIC, are you disputing both of these offenses, or just one? He shouldn't even be in the game anymore. If SOCAL Racing had any interest in "character," he wouldn't be allowed to train here anymore. Now, on this, it's in your best interest to be friends with this twice-caught cheater. Gunna put a good-character bib on Mitchell too? How many more Graded Stakes wins would Ron Ellis have if he didn't have to compete with these cheats?

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...park-detention

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1

Vic,
I saw in another thread that you didn't call a race Rosario was in. Are you abstaining from calling all races he is in?
I ask in all seriousness; I really only watch tvg and hrtv before first post.

I called 75 of Joel's 79 winners. Eddie Burgart called the other 4 when I was forced to take a day off.

Especially on THIS forum.