OK, I am going to explain something here.
The Breeders’ Cup is a relative newcomer to TB racing. It didn’t appear on the scene until the mid ‘80s. I remember reading about it the first year, and we thought it was pretty self-aggrandizing, especially with the “Classic” race that was brand new and certainly hadn’t been around long enough to call itself a classic. There were plenty of actual racing classics that had been around since before any of us had been born. I’m including people who had seen Man o’ War.
We weren’t racing people. We appreciated the Thoroughbred. We knew the breed’s contribution to other breeds (e.g., Saddlebred, TWH, QH, Irish hunter, Standardbred). I even knew a few people who owned TBs. Hunters. We watched TB racing because that was about the only horse sport shown on TV. I knew some names, I knew some breeding. But for awhile in the '80s I didn’t watch racing, partly because I didn’t always have a TV and partly because of watching races where horses had to be put down on the track. And this year I didn’t watch the Friday races because I had more important things I preferred to do!
In more recent years I’ve had more friends with TBs. So I tend to watch more racing, including the Breeders’ Cup. I also watch the Olympics, because I have friends who event, and friends who do dressage. And I remember in 2016 posts on COTH slamming Randy Moss for his lack of knowledge about the equestrian competitions and comparing him unfavorably with the British commentator. He got paid to do that coverage and he didn’t bother to educate himself beforehand, so why should I imagine he would educate himself about racing? I’m talking about programming where the viewing audience is expected to listen to non-horsey celebrities say who they think will win. That’s real knowledge speaking! I couldn’t care less about the betting odds anyway. I’d rather hear about the horses’ bloodlines. Those I know a bit. I can catch him out on some eventing comments. Racing, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Especially when he was there at the desk with well-known racing experts.
I listened on Saturday with half an ear while I was doing other things. And I heard the story about Lady Eli’s laminitis and dedicated owners’ dedication. Then I heard they were sending her to auction. Reminded me of threads I’ve read here on COTH about people buying expensive pedigreed dogs and then dumping them at a rescue or pound because they’d lost interest. Or show people who sell a horse at the drop of a helmet because they’re not winning on it.
So I put 2 and 2 together and came up with 4. And a lot of you thought I’d come up with 5 and accused me of being ignorant, and one even implied I’m an idiot, because I didn’t know that the oh-so-knowledgeable commentator meant “sales” when he said “auction” and never bothered to say “Keeneland.”
Yes, I knew that Man o’ War was sold at a “sale.” But not after he’d made big bucks on the track for his owner and had won classic races.
So, there you have my explanation of why I was sad to hear Lady Eli was going to an “auction.”
Now, any of you want to explain your reasons for putting me down, criticizing me for not being as knowledgeable as Jerry Bailey, and going on and on about how only an idiot could miss “Keeneland” and not know about the Keeneland “sales,” instead of doing as I asked and “educating” me?
