Hi All,
I’ll be honest - this is the first time I’ve seen the racing board get testy and I’m a bit disappointed. This board has always been a safe haven away from some of the other boards. But, even though people have gotten testy, no one has gotten overtly nasty and I thank you all for that. We’re all allowed to get testy from time to time 
The racing rules are the rules and they are enforced nationally in 99% of all cases. Scrappy T did not interfere with any other horse but Afleet Alex, and hence his second place finish stands. This is how it is done in this sport.
If Ramon had purposefully tried to ‘take out’ AA, that would be a different story. It is not for the stewards to punish the horse’s owners (in this case Scrappy T) for an act of unpredicted horse drifting. The stewards in this sport do not punish the owners for random acts of horses (and we all know that horses sometimes do some interesting things…) UNLESS the jockey purposely did something horrible. I do not believe for ONE MINUTE that this is the case here. (I mean, this is not the 1980 Preakness where there was a real question of whether Angel Cordero on Codex purposefully took Genuine Risk and Jacinto Vasquez wide on the final turn and possibly slashed GR in the face…when I interviewed Jacinto for the book about Genuine Risk a few years ago the whole incident still angered him).
No matter what your thoughts are on what happened, please understand these are the rules of this sport. You may not like these rules, but this system has been tested over and over again and it works in this sport. I can not begin to imagine the mess that would ensue if every steward at every track tried to enforce an unrealistic placing of a horse that interfered with one other horse but no others to ‘punish’ the jockey. The lawsuits from the owners would be immediate and swift. Jockeys can be disciplined for rough or careless riding, but that should not affect the owners and the legitimate placement of the horse in regard to horses it DID NOT interfere with.
As it was, Ramon looked back twice as the interference was happening. He looked over his right shoulder and his left shoulder. He probably did this to see if the oncoming horse and jockey were okay and to see which way he should try to direct his horse at that point so as to not cause further problems. NO jockey ever wants to be the cause of another horse and rider coming down - they are part of a brotherhood. Jockeys may not always like one another, but they are not going to risk severely hurting another horse or jockey OR their own horse.
Once he was away from AA, it seemed Ramon backed off and just let Scrappy T gallop to the finish without overly pushing Scrappy. I feel for him because I’m sure he is upset by what happened, and I’m also sure he was disappointed that he could not deliver a win for the owners.
Having galloped a few horses that have drifted suddenly, and earned some real estate when they drifted, sometimes racehorses drift. It is a fact (it’s also why I breed and own now rather than gallop ). And it is a helpless feeling when it is happening to you. Everyone likes to think that jockeys have each horse under complete control at all times, but sometimes a horse just does SOMETHING. They prop, they runaway, and yes, they sometimes drift. You just can’t always keep them in ‘their’ lane. And, although Scrappy may have displayed some fussy running behavior in the past, that behavior was not in ANY way like what happened today, and to infer that he should have been schooled better is a bit ridiculous. The trainer is a fine horseman, and he has have worked and trained Scrappy in a meticulous way. Today was indeed a full scale drift but I don’t see that behavior in his past charts (please correct me if he has ever done a drift like this before).
As far as the controversy about Ramon hitting the horse left handed, I’m not going to comment directly because I don’t know how Scrappy T likes to be ridden. Some horses can not be hit on one side or the other due to their own idiosyncrasies.
No matter what, I’m glad that this incident did not end in tragedy. It could have be a horrible, horrible wreck. I respect both Jeremy Rose (isn’t he the cutest thing?) and yes, Ramon, for the way the situation turned out.
But, most of all, CONGRATULATIONS EMILY and all the connections of Scrappy T. I know this must be bittersweet for all of you, but your hard work and love of Scrappy is an inspiration. You have sacrificed countless hours, moved between Maryland, Delaware, and New York, and stayed hopeful and positive through the whole experience. You have been so hopeful, and you love Scrappy with a passion so fierce that I know at times it has brought tears to your eyes. Please remember, your boy ran second in the Preakness! What a ride it has been for you!
And, please, folks, realize that Emily is one of us and is probably having a night filled of thoughts of what might have been, and feeling a bit sad that the race went the way it did. BE KIND and understand no one in Scrappy T’s camp wanted this to happen. EVERYONE wanted a clean race.
Emily, to slightly misquote another Emily (Bronte in this case), no coward soul is yours. Hold your head high and continue to enjoy the ride Scrappy is giving you.
Hallie McEvoy
Racing Dreams, LLC
I am sure you will correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that safety was a major concern for the stewards. Precisely because a horse or a human, or both, could have been killed because of Scrappy T’s actions, I think a stronger message would have been appropriate. I am clearly in the minority. If this were a MSW and an inexperienced horse, I would not be so quick to judge. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I am well aware that Scrappy T did not interfere with Giacomo. However, the horse and the jockey should be held accountable for his behavior. Whether you believe that the jockey could control what happened or not, that is the jockey’s job! This is not the first time the horse has done this, so apparently the connections need to be sent a message that the horse needs reschooling. This is why I believe the horse should have been disqualified.
