The Importance of Being Earnest

[herkhorse]

I don't know the answer, but maybe we need another caption contest.

[AeWingnut]

ummm, how would Pletcher know to scratch Life at 10?
or is it because he entered the loser?

We should just award every category to team Zenyatta and get it over with

[Rudeboyelvis]

Would Velasquez ever get another mount for the connections if he refuses to ride a horse that a trainer sent out in the Breeder's Cup??!!

As far as we know, the horse was and is structurely sound and fit - just wasn't feeling it that day - whatever it was... reation to meds, feed alergy, etc....

that said, the the horse passed the vet check - TWO vet checks actually - in the paddock and at the gate - so the jock took the gate under direction of the trainer,and promptly eased the horse when he knew she was feeling stressed. He did precisely what any jockey would do, and probably does at least once or twice every racing day in this country.

His biggest crime was that happened on one of the biggest days in NA racing, and there happened to be a microphone in his face on his way to the gate.

If you want to vilify Pletcher, that's another argument entirely, but at the end of the day, the stewards and the on track vet make the call to scratch a horse if they feel it shouldn't run - not the jock.

The jock has the right to refuse a mount, not the responsibility to make that call.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by herkhorse

I don't know the answer, but maybe we need another caption contest.

OKay next time anyone sees some pics of race goers with cows on their heads or hats that look like they were made out of giant pieces of fruit and concrete and tanks and such we'll do it again!

[herkhorse]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

OKay next time anyone sees some pics of race goers with cows on their heads or hats that look like they were made out of giant pieces of fruit and concrete and tanks and such we'll do it again!

I was talking about the photo in the article goofball!


I agree with Matt. Most of us (thankfully) just play to have fun. I could care less about the eclipse awards. How many would have noticed all that happened with Life At Ten, if it wasn't on a big day and all over espn.

[Cannon Shell]

I could argue that Zenyatta's 2010 schedule could be subject to lacking in the best interests of racing....but I won't bother

The trainers eclipse is only available to about 3 trainers with massive stables anyway. Excellence in training is not really what the award is about, it is about accumulation of numbers. So who really cares?

Nebulous standards confuse things further. Look at baseball's HoF.