The horse won by a pole. Shaq could have gotten that horse to the winner's circle. I actually hit the winner and the exacta in the Turfway Park prep and thought I had done some brilliant handicapping. I now realize I was extremely fortunate and have donated half the winnings to Kent's favorite charity.

What charity is that? E.C.I.N.?? (End Cajun Illiteracy Now)

Scuds with all due respect your last post was a bit off. I know plenty of people from Louisiana and they are wonderfully talented and knowledgable, especially about racing.

Your post on another thread saying that Hollywood was speed favoring was pure prattle and without merit. And your selection of a wrung out, over the top Principle Secret lacked insight. With respect. BBB

My vote is John Mckee. Its tough to get horses in some of the spots he gets them in.

that's a good choice...but to be fair, he is just along for the ride most of the time :D

Well, my vote has finally beed mentioned. WOW, the kid is terrified of the rail!!!

Was Stormello tons the best yesterday? Or did the jock have anything at all to do with it? Lord knows if he loses, its all kents fault.

He is brutal. Without a guy like Holthus, he may be riding at River Downs.

Well, I was pretty sure he was going to win a few more races in his career. He isn't very good in my opinion. I didn't see yesterday's race as that is in the middle of the night for me, so I can't really say at this time.

My general philosophy is that very rare is a jockey decisive in winning a race, but they can certainly lead to a loss. As I mentioned here, I rarely even know who is riding the horses I bet on.

Gee, I wonder where that would be.

Kent D
Sexy Chantal
Jerry Bailey, Gary Stevens, Pat Day

Newfoundland?

They are an hour ahead of NY.

Slow Saturday night?

Yep, I'm working and watching football, emphasis on the latter. (It is Sunday by the way)

I was referring to you saying the Hollywood Futurity was past your bedtime...ya know, being that you're in Newfoundland and all.

I'm not only bored, but brain dead at the moment.

It is rare that a jockey does much to win the race, but I've seen them screw one up before. Maybe Frankie Detorri would have won if he were on Bernardini in the Classic, he wouldn't have made him start going so soon.

Mike Smith

Well said BBB.

Louisiana is a mecca for horse racing and, in particular, for producing good jockeys. Look at the number of jockeys who started riding in the backwaters of Louisiana and made a significant impact at the highest levels of the sport. From Eddie D. on through today . . . the list goes on. Many of today's top jockeys started riding as kids in Cajun/Creole country. Louisiana is one of the few states that boast 4 thoroughbred tracks.

Not to mention the other assets of the state -- including the fine programs at Loyola and Tulane.

The state took the brunt of a massive hurricane followed by the inept response from a corrupt national government. If Louisiana wasn't critical to the oil industry chances are people would still be drowning in flood waters today.

Say anything you want,but the Principle Secret part is fiction.The riding at Delta Downs that night by the inbreds was atrocious.It was the worst I have seen all year,and that was the question asked in the poll.I would feel better about their riding skills if I knew they were trying to set it up for the horses in the back of the field.There is no good option.They are bad,or crooked.Take your pick.

lol pretty funny juvenal was mentioned considering most of the horses he rode for reavis here he actually owned himself, of course juvy would always be all out on those

[quote=DaHoss9698]While I agree with you for the most part, jocks do have somewhat an impact on what goes on. You can't tell me Johnny V, or Gomez ride the same as Clive Beech (Finger Lakes jock, and trust me, you'll be able to pick his style out right away).

No order

Robbie Albarado, I despise the man as a jock. He gets horses beat, and I can never catch the guy.

Chantal Sutherland, an easy target, and an obvious one. But in all reality, she isn't really a good jock, plain and simple. She's hot, but she can't ride a lick.

Kent D., besides being an ass hole, I can't stand the guy as a rider.


lol well this is a absolute first! somer, oracle, kasept,scc, anybody whove ive known for 5+ years since espn mark this down this is a MONUMENTAL occasion im actually going to defend kent d! i met kent along time ago and have talked to him a couple times in person since when hes come into chicago to ride! hes notta *******! yes he is overconfident about his riding ability but as a person hes a very nice guy

finally my vote.................quincy hamilton

Any jockey that doesnt win when you need him or her too. Thats the most lousy jockey.

Blaming jockeys is a common way out of hiding the fact that you made a horrendous betting decision.

Lets keep it real here folks. Dont blame the oompa lumpas, blame yourself.

lets face it jockeys do make mistakes from time to time and are the cause of some horses losing but not as often as some seem to think. some people think they dont matter at all when in fact they do in my opinion. 85% horse 15% rider in my book

Okay I can agree with that Playa. Sure they make mistakes a bunch but so do we as gamblers... So so much more.

You know what is amazing though.... From about Thanksgiving weekend until this last weekend,Flores was butchering rides galore.In a funk.Getting stakes horses stuck 2x etc. for the same trainer/ owners .Then he has a big day,and makes about 30k.Wins 5 races.The owners,trainers,and bettors got the shaft during those 3 weeks,and he ends up just fine.

Sorry, just clued into this thread. Mike Smith. That's all I have to say.

This one is not even close for me: Mike Luzzi. He is the worst judge of pace I've ever seen on a big time circuit. 2nd would have to be Jose Valdivia. He consistently finds trouble in 5-6 horse fields. My vote for 3rd is a tie between Raul Rojas and Jose Espinoza.

Obviously you gotta have the horse, but jocks' decision-making, especially in turf racing, is a key component in my opinion.

[quote=disappearingdan_akaplaya]
Playa its funny that you should say that, because you notice I have kept the Kent D bashing down myself for the same reason as you. He rode my friend's cheap claimer at Aqueduct back in April, and I met him for the first time in the walking ring and hes one hell of a nice guy, he was polite and nice and actually seemed somewhat intelligent(after being he victim over the years of so many of his horrendously stupid rides, I found this startling. I was expecting a guy who drueled and couldn't form complete sentences).
I still thought his ride on Relaxed Gesture easily qualified for worst stakes ride of the year though up here at Saratoga. That was a disaster of epic proportions.

I agree with you about Castellano in the Classic.

Not to revisit an overplayed topic on here but I too agree Kent's ride on Relaxed Gesture was bad but I needed him to win and lets face it, that horse wasnt winning that race on that day. No way Jose. Could have been 2nd or
3rd but not a winner.

I never catch Albarado. I know he wins a decent percentage but he rides for guys like Howard in KY and high % outfits in Louisiana. But whenever I bet him, he gives the ride from hell, wide trip on the grass, or on the inside when the rail is dead. Wherever I don't want my horse positioned, he finds it.

With apologies to a few, this thread has disintegrated into remarkable prattle. The first rule of handicapping is to bet your own money, on your own selections. Rule two; take responsibility for those selections. There are no other rules.

The previous four pages of this thread are largely, collective confessions of novice handicappers who always bet the right horse. And if that horse loses; blame the jockey. Posts such as $50 to win, $50 place on a certain horse... ten minutes before the race, are ubiquitous and carry a dismal hit rate. Some cappers list 4 or 5 horses, for any given race, then take credit if any one of them wins! In the last few days some posters are fraudulenting claiming their horse won, when it ran up the track!!

Without apology or regret, I can relate to how hard a jockey has it. For twelve years I lived across the street from Churchill Downs. For the last eight of those years my roommate was an outrider. I have enormous respect, and a deep admiration for jockeys' work ethic, athleticism and courage. I call more than a few good friends.

In continuing my tirade, one post indicated the jocks in Louisiana, for the Delta Princess, were on the take, or lousy, because they set a fast pace. The poster did not consider that both were Grade One winning fillies and both were sent. Additionally that night, the first five races were won by widening wire to wire winners, with one exception who ran a very game second at a nice number. Wouldn't you love to see, your jockey, strangling your speed horse in a big money race???? Posting that a jock would "stiff" a horse in a $300K race highlights the prattle here in, and indicates the posters' incompetence.

In conclusion, in five decades of betting on horse races, a jockeys poor ride has beat me about five times. I asked, a few, really solid national cappers, the same question and their answer was about the same. I do not intend to come off as a know-it all, and have been "warned" that forum regulars are "intimidated" with my knowledge, I counter with all my bets are posted somewhere and my ROI would make a lottery winner wince. My strength is that, I realize, many handicappers know more than i do, and beat me like a drum every day, but I do not makre up excuses for my failures! Posting Friday, Good cappin, BBB

I like your attitude. Care to give your opinion on the jockey scandal at Tampa?

This is to remind people that this is a thread to post your 3 lousy jocks,and 1 most disappointing jock of the year.People have of course turned on those who gave their selections.Those are their selections.Give your own,or f off.

i for one am shaking in my boots about you posting here..you have put out 4 or five.pick 4 s.and hit one..right under my selections where i gave out the same horses..then you pm me and ask if i need help...so comedy..

Very loquacious. You most certainly have a fine grasp of the language arts.

I would only take limited minor exceptions with your comments. Perhaps you may indulge my noting them in reverse order of significance:

8. What knowledge is it that you have been "warned" about in terms of "intimidating" others?

7. You have a peculiar way of saying "We" and "Our" to describe your actions, wagers and thoughts. I recall -- and please do correct me if I've erred -- referring to your "inner circle."

6. You tease us like a tempting vixen with reference to your "posted elsewhere" ROI. Pray tell, where might some of us locate this most holiest of grails?

5. Why would anyone at the highest levels of handicapping ever discuss a bad ride? You and your "top tier national handicappers" must know rides even out and they are fruitless to discuss. 50 years of wagering and you still have not mastered this?

4. Outriders are not jockeys. This follows the same logic we all learned when taking those standardized tests; i.e., ALL SQUARES ARE RECTANGLES BUT NOT ALL RECTANGLES ARE SQUARES.

3. I took no offense to your comments and ask no apologies, especially with respect to your "Rule #1 ... Bet Your Own Money." Agreed. In return for my not taking any offense and requiring no apology, I'd like to take comfort in you doing the same when I tell you I would not wager on your offerings with stolen money.

2. You strike me as a man who -- for whatever reason -- is looking for a job or to make a sale. I actually admire that.

1. What in the world is a man such as you doing living for for 8 years with an outrider across from a race track???? Perhaps that takes us down a path that is best reserved for another session.

You can PM me with questions, comments, requests for assistance or cash challenge offers.