DRF: Alan Shuback
 

what is it with this guy? he covers international racing for the DRF, but in everything he writes he can barely contain his disdain for US racing or horsemen.

in todays print edition, he has an article titled "Atlantic crossing needn't be one way path". I don't have drf-plus so I can't link it. maybe someone else will.

in this article he chastises US horsemen for not contesting the big European races. he also gives the two reasons why he thinks the US doesn't go over, 1) we are too cheap (have to pay our own way unlike Dubai), and 2) an ugly inbred provincialism that says anything that isn't American isn't worth it.

he says this attitude damages the foundation of racing in the US. huh?

he should leave out the commentary imo, and just write about the sport.

The DRF should really fire this guy. He is so anti-american. Plus his opinions are beyond bad. He makes Watchmaker seem like Einstein (not the horse...the person). I forgot which big race.....but I remember reading a piece by this idiot in which he claimed European horses would dominate a race over hear. U.S. horses ran 1-2-3...Euros were all way back.

The DRF can surely do better than this jagoff.

i thought we didn't go over there as there are plenty of graded racing and big purses here. i also think a lot of 'their' horses come here to get ground they can't get over there, and to get in on some of the big purses over here. lots more to go 'round on this side of the atlantic.
plus, regardless of this guys opinion, everyone knows kentucky is the #1 place for breeding, and where better to showcase a possible international sire than over here? there's a reason giants causeway ran here, and that was for exposure before standing him here. then you look at a lot of their big horses, and they have (ky) next to their name, so there's no denying the influence we have on them and the sport over there.
also, as far as dubai...if they didn't have dirt racing over there, we wouldn't bother going there either. turf just isn't really where it's at with the u.s.

in the article his counterpoint is that due to the falling dollar the purses over their are now larger for GR1's than ours on average.

like you said, its not only dollars but the shear numbers of races that are available over here is another factor not to go.

You forgot one of the biggest reasons Europeans bring their horses here- our liberal use of medication.

As for money, it makes absolutely no sense to bring the big euro stake horses over to run in anything but the breeders cup because of the exchange. The dollar trades at almost 2-1 against the pound and about 1.5-1 against the Euro.

I didn't know the dollar was so weak.

Now excuse me...I have to walk 10 miles to the store for some lighter fluid and food for my bats.

the logistics of shipping is another thing...plus, a lot of euros come over here to stay, what reason would we have to do the same? fact is, plenty of racing here to go around, so why go thru the time, trouble and effort to go there? and owners are here? makes no sense at all.

yeah, that's another factor. i find it ironic when euro trainers decry our use of lasix, etc...but no sooner are they off the plane, then they are on the meds themselves.

The Japanese probably have arguably even less incentive to come over, but they have been in recent years.

Though saying that, unless you had a top turf horse who was beating everything in sight in the States and wanted to really test how good it is, there isnt much point in sending the horses over here..

You remind me of the type of person that if they hear something contrary to their religious belief, get's all hackled up, like their very beliefs are being questioned and their faith rocked.

Who really cares.

what religious beliefs of mine are contrary to the article? you couldn't have made a worse interpretation of why his comments bother me. Its that he is always one-sided, Euros=good, US=inferior. There's never a balance.

I'm all for the DRF firing this guy because my opinion is different from his.

what happened to nownownow?

That reminds me, I'm overdue to watch the best, saddest and funniest movie of all time again, Idiocracy.

be sure to ride the time mashine

eh, what did happen to him? He's back there now isnt he..

that scene was frickin classic!

charlie chaplin as the head of the nazis!

My girlfriend calls that movie a reality show of the near future.

That's probably the funniest movie ever made.

its an underappreciated masterpiece imo.
we are well on our way to that future.

president Camacho's address to the House of Representin is a scream.

Colonel John just won a million dollar race.
There was no fleeing to Europe in fear of the mighty Colonel.

The Pacific Classic for 1 million today...
Is the field shuddering under the weight of going against
Awesome Gem or maybe Mast Track...

The first time I saw the IQ test being administered to "Not Sure", I laughed for about twenty minutes and had to stop the movie.

Also, the whole thing with Brawndo and electrolytes was genius!

The thing that almost made me cry with laughter though was Costco, especially the mindless greeter. Welcome to Costco, I love you. Welcome to Costco, I love you.