Love the horse, but that trainer's irritating
 

This is a very good opinion piece. Sums up my feelings exactly. Only can post a little but it is worth reading the entire thing.

http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/414804.html

Love the horse, but that trainer's irritating
By John Clay
HERALD-LEADER SPORTS COLUMNIST

Memo to Rick Dutrow: Don't call us "babe."

We like your horse. What's not to like? He's Big. He's Brown. He has better acceleration than Danica Patrick. Big Brown is thoroughbred racing's answer to teleporting.

In fact, there is overwhelming reason to believe that Big Brown will give a shaky sport what it has so desperately craved, the purely positive story that would come from the sport's first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.

That is, Rick, if you don't ruin it.

too funny, the guy asking rick to dutrow to show respect for the sport. oh, that is just so freaking hilarious.

So Dutrow was standing wrong in an interview, and this is one of the reasons he's bad for the sport?

Just more of the same in my opinion. Personally, I think this is nothing more than a shield and sword attitude -- and far too many in the media are using this type of reporting just because they can. It's the melodramatic, theatrical, etc. -- BS! The "claims" and "criticisms" and "finger pointing" all has the gasp element.

So he doesn't like that Dutrow calls everyone "Babe" -- OK, don't speak to Dutrow and he won't call you "Babe", LOL. You don't like his confidence or arrogance -- great, don't report on him, move on, next. There's a cat stuck in a tree on Main Street and I am sure a Pulitzer Prize will come out of that. You don't like the way he sits on a chair at his own barn? OK, got it. Go to someone else's barn and decide if you like the way they sit.

This is not written for people "in the game" so to speak. Of course, an aticle can't be written unless it addresses WINSTROL. What was there to write or report about before this LEGAL drug became the only topic we would ever want to read about? We all know what we get with Rick Dutrow. Let's go over this one more time -- the Winstrol issue is not an issue, yet the media will make it one time and time again. Now let's get this straight -- THIS IS NOT A RICK DUTROW ISSUE . . . It is an INDUSTRY ISSUE and the media is hurting the industry by reporting like this.

This is not a defense of Rick Dutrow. My horses have lost more races to his horses than I care to remember. But that's the game. This type of reporting does not help the game.

Eric

Lost me at "If that was bad, your body language was almost worse."

I think it is just a respect issue. The sport doesn't need Dutrow but Dutrow needs the sport. He doesn't have to be Neil Drysdale but he should have a little more respect for other trainers and horses and the media.

This is a very tough sport and Dutrow should be nice to the people on his way up because I guarantee there will be a hard fall for this guy eventually and there won't be too many people getting his back.

Listen, I am all for the respect for the business. I agree with that 100%, and always have. So, where should Dutrow show his respect for the business? The way he sits in front of his barn? OK, seriously -- his demeanor? There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence. Like I've often said, he is what he is and we all know what get with him.

Bob Fox always said that this is a business of self-expression. In many ways he's right. Did many people react similarly to Johnny Campo? Woody Stephens? Of course Dutrow is different, the lifestyle, drugs, and so on. I get that. Again, I am not defending Dutrow. He needs to be dealth with -- and hopefully, the industry will be able to deal with these situations in the very near future. As far as this article, I just don't see it.

Eric

it's hard to pick.

which blowhard do i dislike more? the obnoxious drunk or the mohair suit yelling at him?

i wouldn't have thought it possible but i think this article actually made me start to sympathize with dutrow.

wouldn't a simple "shut up" have sufficed?

Exactly!

Personally, i think its refreshing. Personalities like Dutrow's are a good thing. Maybe trainers or owners who want to shut him up might show up with their horses.

This "columnist" obviously has an agenda.

This was an opinion piece/column. It is the price that you pay when your sport gets publicity. When you have an individual with a past like Dutrow and with his mannerisms can you really complain about what guys like this write? Other sports get it much worse on a regular basis. If we want to be considered as a news worthy sport we have to remember that most news that is reported is negative and as such reporters and columnists will write much more about knocking things than writing positive, 'puff pieces'.

Chuck, I completely get that, and I don't have a problem with it. Dutrow's a target, and for many reasons he should be. For others perhaps not. Regardless, if we want to make this look better, what do we do -- compare it to something worse? LOL.

Report on Dutrow's positives, how the rules must be changed, zero tolerence, uniform medication rules, and so on -- all the things we really need in this game.

Winstrol? Dovetail it with Dutrow's attitude, way of sitting, speaking, and the fact that you don't "like him"? I think we see the type of journalism this is.

Eric

Yes, typical 2008 style journalism. For some reason this sport and people in it are somehow always worried about it's image. It really doesnt matter as long as people are talking about you. Not to mention that having a villan makes a story much more interesting. It's like the yankees or Dallas Cowboys. They have lots of fans but there are more that simply root against them.

There is plenty to worry about vis a vis image, we all know that. It's a circular blame game, and at one point in the circle, the media is part of the problem.

Eric

really, if the media wanted to give dutrow a hard time, they could write up what is known, rather than an opinion about someone calling others 'babe'. i'd stomach the truth a lot better than softball bs like calling him a rogue.
it doesn't bother me if dutrow has good posture, bad hygiene, bad manners or halitosis. what bothers me is the blatant cheating, followed by blatant disregard of the terms of suspension-that shows more his disrespect of the sport than how he leans on a fence.

Well said. While some may not like how some of the media is reporting on horse racing.. especially the mainstream media which is often uninformed and gets involved only during this time of year.. this is NOT a report. It's one guy's opinion. Fair or not, other major sports get this type of scrutiny year round.

I'm not sure what the issue is with this article. The trainer of the likely first Triple Crown winner in 30 years has some issues. Shouldn't "journalists" actually report on his indiscretions?? Again, calling people "babe" and how you stand posture wise being your main ammunition is a bit ridiculous I agree, but people should be reporting on his real trash in his history within the industy. Overall I think great restraint has been shown overall by the media. Wasn't the mother of his daughter murdered in a crack house or somehing? I mean you could really go wild with this thing, and I think for the most part the media has been hands off his family situation/daughter as they should be.

Articles such as this are quite tame.

This was one of the worst pieces of trash articles I've ever read. What does Dutrow's personality have to do with how good Big Brown is? That's just silly. How he's standing and his posture and his facial expressions? Are u kidding me? I thought this part was especially stupid:

We know you didn't yet know about poor Eight Belles' breakdown, but your antics blurred the line between celebration and inappropriate.

Well, if you know he didn't know about EB, how could he have possibly been inappropriate? That doesn't make sense. If you take out the fact that he didn't know, then you are left with a man that has been as far down as you can get in the sport celebrating the fact that he's now reached the top. How would you react to that?

So what if he's overconfident? I wish more trainers were like him. I'd much rather hear him say the things he says about his horse and what he thinks about his chances and be honest about it than have a trainer of a 1/5 shot saying how it's really a tough race and he'll have to be at his best to win and talking up the competition as if he's going out to face 12 Spectacular Bids. That gets boring and tired after awhile. Dutrow is refreshing for me. The more press he gets, the more I like him.

Latest Dutrow quote on Curlin
 

According to the Thoroughbred Times, this was Dutrow's answer: "Well, I've seen Curlin get beat by a filly -- so that is not impressive to me. I can't imagine there's a filly breathing air that could beat Big Brown."




The man says what is on his mind.

A cheater is gunna be confident. That's just the way it's going to be. Fatboy is gunna continue to be that way, and he will also continue to rest his hands on his back, because he can't find those hips.