That may be your opinion, but unless your opinion has any influence on the rules of racing worldwide the result standing shouldn’t be a shock.
And holding the horse and jockey accountable by placing them behind one horse they didn’t interfere with (Giacomo) but in front of a bunch more horses that he didn’t interfere with (the rest of the field) doesn’t make any logical sense, no matter who’s writing the rules.
SeaOat, yes I do ride, not as much as I would like to. I missed the explanation of how horses are trained to change leads. Your explanation was very succinct and I appreciated it.
Still not certain about ducking and veering but I will hush about it.
Thanks
AB
OMG!! When Alex got up again, he just DUG IN and found another gear! I swear he looked really p*ssed off with the interference. What a look of determination on him!
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by accidental buckaroo:
Well here is my question:
I was told that Scrappy T has done same thing in another race. If true, is that not something to be aware of by jockey riding Scrappy?
AB </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It was mentioned on the coverage that he has “drifted” before and its untrue. He has has trouble with leads late. He hasn’t had the tendency to bear out (last year, Lion Heart did!) and he certainly never bolted before. The fact is Tom Durkin missed Scrappy’s bolt. He said twice that Scrappy “blew the turn.” At the moment that it happened, Durkin was focused on Alex spurting out into the clear from behind Greeley. He didn’t see the “whack” and by the time he refocused on Scrappy, he and AA were crashing. I watched the Pimlico feed this morning and Rodman’s call was better. Rodman picked up AA’s move earlier AND saw the bolt.
I work for a TV station and we have reviewed the replay, the original and the NBC video as if it were the Zapruder film. I really wish that there was a blimp cam.
I’m confident that there was no “intent” by Ramon and that both horses were exceptional to recover from the incident. I watched the race with my former boss (a racing consultant) and since I’d been “touting” Scrappy to everyone who would listen I focused on him immediately. It was funny because on the first turn I mentioned how he was “relaxing on a long hold” then a few moments later, Tom said the exact same words! Of course, being a NYRA racing analyst, I know all the “Durkinims” by heart.
My friend thought it was hilarious and was thrilled for me as Scrappy blasted by High Limit. We had both seen AA’s move and knew that Scrappy was about to face a serious challenge. When they crashed we both thought that there would be two horses and two riders on the track in front of a wall of horses.
I spoke to Emily yesterday and know that everyone in the Scrappy camp was very sorry that this should have happened and thankful that no one was hurt. Everyone who has ever “lead one over” knows the risks and hopes for a safe and fair trip. belive me, they just wanted a clear stretch drive and a true test of these two fine horses.
I saw that Baltimore Sun photo and omg. I don’t mean to belabor the point, but why would you hit a horse left handed at that point?
AB
From the replay, it looks like Scrappy T ducked out when the left hand whip made him switch leads. He is on the left lead around the turn, gets hit, switches to right lead, and spins to the right. However, there is an AP picture in our local paper taken from the outside that shows a big drain with an open end inside the rail. I wonder if that could have contributed, if Scrappy T spooked at it? (I speak as one who owned a horse who felt that big drains contained horse-eating trolls.) Anyone else see this picture?
Alex ran an incredible race, and probably would have won by a country mile without the interference. How game, getting up off his knees and soldiering on!
Bailes won’t blame Dominguez
Trainer Robert Bailes said Monday that Ramon Dominguez would stay on Preakness runner-up Scrappy T for whatever his next race may be. Bailes said the Belmont Stakes is one of several options he and owner Marshall Dowell would consider for Scrappy T’s next start.
“We’re going to stick with Ramon,” Bailes said Monday. “I’ve been switching way too much. I switched jockeys more on this horse than all 20 of mine that ran throughout the year.”
In his last four starts, Scrappy T has been ridden by Dominguez, Rafael Bejarano, and Alan Garcia. Luis Diaz rode Scrappy T in all five starts as a 2-year-old.
Dominguez whacked Scrappy T extremely hard left-handed turning for home, and the gelding veered out sharply, clipping heels with Afleet Alex and forcing that horse to stumble badly. Dominguez said that he hit Scrappy T because the horse was spooking from the crowd noise.
“I told Ramon I’ll never second-guess him, what he did,” Bailes said. “It’s horse racing; I’ve been in it long enough. Unfortunately, things happen at the wrong time. He rode a heck of a race.”
Scrappy T shipped to Delaware Park on Sunday morning. Bailes said Monday that the horse came out of the race in good order. In addition to the Belmont, Bailes is also considering trying Scrappy T on the turf.
CMPhoto: Nothing taken away from ST’s very good race by anyone, but to say he ran a “great” race is reserved for the horse who ran 100% honest, no ducking allowed. Maybe next time he’ll be more game & not dick around when he’s up front, hopefully. But always exciting to be around a big horse so understand you are more emotional & analytical about it.
Most give up looking for excuses on these animals if they’re smart, works best not to. When there’s a wrinkle, iron it out & move on. And no one backside cares what the press writes as most is bs, btw.
I don’t remember Scrappy blowing a turn like that in the Withers, I remember him being a bit “looky” but nothing about any of his previous races would indicate that if you hit him left handed he was going to run 1/2 way across the track to the left. The horse completely overreacted. Horses do that sometimes.
Whips get used left handed in turns all the time. Watch a replay of the Preakness, and count how many of the jockeys are using left handed whips. Watch a replay of the Kentucky Derby and watch Mike Smith on Giacomo. Left handed whip, around the turn and down the stretch.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Jockeys may not always like one another, but they are not going to risk severely hurting another horse or jockey OR their own horse. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Unless your name was Eddie Arcaro. Asked at a steward’s hearing to explain his behavior when he tried to knock a fellow jockey off his horse during a race, Arcaro said “I was trying to kill the SOB.”
He was suspended for a year or so.
Wow!! That is all I can say, what a race.
Regardless, congrats to xcntrygirl for her day in and day out work with Scrappy T. Looks like their hard work has paid off! 
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by CuriosoJorge:
Scrappy T should have been set down below Giacomo, or diaqualified altogether. That was blatant interference. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
A horse who is set down can only be place behind the horse he interferes with. Giacomo was not involved. Had Scrappy won, he’d likely have been dq’d but as it was, the horse he interfered with beat him anyhow so rightly no action was taken.
The stewards CAN take action against Dominguez, and maybe they should. He went to the whip with a HARD LEFT and sent Scrappy reeling away from the stick. At the top of the lane, most horses are likely to bear out some anyhow, so IMO it was careless of him. The fact is that there is no jurisdiction that I know of that can arbitralily place a horse behind a horse he didn’t interfere with.
Every race is reviewed by the stewards and the Preakness id no different. Dominquez may be fined or set down for his ride but there is no reason to penalize the horse and his connections when no horse finishing behind him was effected by the action of the jock.
Galileo1998…you are definately right. Scrappy T didn’t blow the turn in the Withers at all. He did run green down the lane, but that’s not the same. Ramon had no way to know that he would blow the turn when he hit him. Like it’s been said, others were hitting left handed too.
I agree with the others, in NO WAY should Scrappy have been disqualified. It was not intentional or dangerous riding (and he only hit him once, not multiple times). He ran a great race overall and unfortunatley had one bad overreaction to the whip. It could have happened to any horse. Thank goodness no one was hurt. That’s the only thing that really matters. AA ran an incredible race that will be talked about for a long time to come, but Scrappy deserves all the recognition that he has earned too. That was a big step up for him and he proved that he really is a good horse.
Congrats to all involved with him. You’ve all done a great job and have nothing to feel bad about. Enjoy your success!!! 
Afleet Alex won, Scrappy T was second and Giacomo third.
I think Scrappy T coulda won if his jock hadn’t hit him with that left handed whip. What the HELL was he thinking?
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by foundationmare:
Ditto Jo,
Using a left-handed whip on the turn was not wise…especially while ON THE TURN! I’m glad that nobody went down in a heap, but tragedy was only marginally averted. Yes, the jock should have known what would happen went he went to a left-handed whip.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I bet he switched his whip over in prep for the stretch drive so that he wouldn’t be in danger of hitting Alex with it - who he knew was coming up on the outside, and fast.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by Sonesta:
his jockey looking back to see if Afleet Alex was going to fall. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Sorry Sonesta, but you weren’t watched the same race as anyone else on the planet. The jocky on Scrapy T looked back because Scrappy T was the one who caused Alex to go to his knees. The jockey on Scrappy T was checking to see who he had interfered with when the horse bulged over and if they were okay.
If Scrappy T hadn’t interfered, Afleet Alex would have blown by him with ease and won by 10.
And I know there is someone on here with connections to the horse, but I hope they take this race as a blessing and now work on keeping Scrappy T straight in the lane. This is now the second race that he has run erratically in the stretch. If he keeps doing it, next time the other horse and jockey might not be so lucky to stay on their feet and a serious accident could happen.
Well here is my question:
I was told that Scrappy T has done same thing in another race. If true, is that not something to be aware of by jockey riding Scrappy?
Not trying to be inflammatory by any means with this comment/question.
ALso, never again will I listen to someone sitting next to me despite the number of good sized tickts they are cashing.
I had been doing pretty ok with ex wheels and had Alex with two others on top and Scrappy with two others on bottom. My sister said ask that guy, and bugged and bugged so I finally did.
He said I am doing 7/all and all/7 (Closing argument). Told me my bet was not wise!!! And I listened to him. And he got up from chair at last minute and bet my bet. Never again.
When I watch the replay of that race I just get sick over what could have happened. Thank God, everbody came home safely.
AB
CJ= I am curious as to how someone can form so strong an opinion without actually knowing what they are talking about (as it’s clear that you do not).
(1) How is this Dominguez’s fault? He gave the horse a decent ride, and you can’t fault him for the horse blowing the turn.
(2) The only horse Scrappy could have taken out was Afleet Alex. Now, had Alex run 2nd, Scrappy would have undoubtedly been taken down. However, Giacomo ran exactly as he would have run regardless of anything Scrappy T did.
(3) Please, get on a racehorse that blows a turn and tell us what YOU did to control it. I’m all ears, and I’m sure some of the greatest riders ever would be eager to learn.
Afleet Alex was obviously much the best in this race, and Jeremy Rose did a hell of a job. He didn’t miss a single beat. Awesome.
Wow, I thought Afleet Alex’s jockey was coming off! I held my breath for a second there; that was a pretty hard trip, and hopefully he’s okay after the race. Scrappy T, I don’t know if it’s just me, but it looked as if he started moving up early on the far turn. It was a good race though.
*NO HORSES TO SLAUGHTER
PhillyFilly – Oh!!! Thanks for the clarification! But it will still stink if we don’t have a Triple Crown anymore…I’d like to see someone win it in my lifetime!
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
