Quote:
Originally Posted by Cannon Shell
Agreed but some changes that people want in racing arent always ones that they will continue to like once implemented.
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Then change it back. Or modify the change to make it better. But doing nothing is not acceptable if this industry want to keep it's regular players.
The fact is still the fact, regardless of how anyone inside the business wants to spin it. Espinoza took his horse out of contention in an attempt to influence the outcome of the race, not to win it. There are rules against that regardless of how one may choose to interpret it.
Chuck, you said "a path or two", Denman said 4, the replay clearly show it was wider than that. But really that is immaterial. The fact remains that people wagered money on this horse to run a race that would at least put him in contention (however foolhardy that decision may or may not have been), not to purposely be taken out of the race in the first turn.
Bad rides are part and parcel of the game, as gamblers we've come to accept that - You can't read a day in the selections room without someone mentioning a jock taking a horse back and not sending speed, or watching lone speed setting 25/50 while pressers leave him 2 lengths clear, etc.
But this was a whole new level.
This was premeditated race fixing. If you choose to call that "drama", well, there's really no point in furthering the discussion.
Everyone has a breaking point. I routinely churned way more money than I care to admit each year in this sport, for many, many years. I routinely took bad beats, and even once in a while benefited from a poor ride by a competing jockey. I took it in stride and kind of sloughed it off.
That said - I no longer do. I am now a very casual player as I still love the sport - but have had enough of the nonsense and refuse to accept the opinion and position this industry's takes against it's customers.
My breaking point was the 2014 Belmont Stakes. To date, not one turf writer (to my knowledge, and multiple exhaustive searches since still bear this out) spent one moment asking Jose Ortiz, his agent, Richard Violette, or anyone from My Meadowbrook Farm why the only "need the lead" horse was pulled in the first turn & subsequently taken out of the race. Not one. You just chalk that up to "a poor ride'? As Jim said, it's difficult enough to effectively handicap a race, now you have these decisions being made and zero follow up?
Give me dated nickles at Tampa all day long - at least I know where I stand.