I really liked the jockey on Early Voting. He was SO emotional after that win. Does Donna Barton make any one else nuts sometimes? The poor guy was in tears…I get she has a job to do, but she could have given him a second to compose himself. Edited to correct her name🤦♀️.
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Think of it as avenging poor Medina Spirit and not petty 
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The interviews on horseback have been driving me nuts since the days of Charlsie Cantey.
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Another fantastic Preakness in the books! Way too hot but preferable to the 50’s at rain we have had in the past. I love hearing all the connections talk about how relaxing Pimlico is compared to Churchill and how our MD hospitality is off the charts. I am so glad we still have it for now.
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Not crazy about the immediate post-race horseback jockey interviews either, but I’m a big Donna Barton fan.
I was bugged by Jerry Bailey’s whiney comment about how he hoped Classic winners skipping the next Classic isn’t going to be a trend. When we hear everyone else saying that skipping the next race is in the best interest of the horse, that’s pretty tone deaf. I get it makes for more drama if a triple crown is on the line or you have consistency in the series, but not having it just means the media personnel have to work a little harder to find the stories. Plenty there to find. Besides, I’m really looking forward to the Belmont to see whether RS is the real thing (or at least tune in to see his antics lol). His skipping the Preakness builds more drama, not less.
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Gun Runner sure does sire some lovely looking horses, not to mention good runners (and he’s a looker himself.)
His fee is 125K now, I wonder if it will increase.
I can’t stand the post-race jockey interviews. I find Donna Barton annoying as heck. I get she has a job to do, but she seems to ask the same question every time… I don’t know what else she would ask… But I find the whole interview thing annoying. That’s one good thing Rich Strike’s antics provided after the derby win… no dumb post-race interview.
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I’m trying to figure out Early Voting’s face, and I haven’t seen a good closeup head shot at the appropriate angle. Does he have a scrape/ouchie next to his right eye, or does he have a very small and oddly-shaped lopsided star? Just curious.
It looks like a scrape to me.
I did some digging, it must be a scrape . He didn’t have that mark when he won the Withers or when he came in second in the Wood Memorial.
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I have pics of him from before the race, he has a few scrapes on his face that seem well on their way to healing.
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From a distance it looks like he took some hair off, as horses tend to do…
What did we learn from Kentucky Derby and Preakness 2022 or the Triple Crown so Far - just my opinion
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This is a very talented bunch of horses. Early voting and “Richie” are VERY talented colts despite their bloodlines! They still had to run their races, listen to their jockeys, stay mentally sane, show so heart and determination, and of course, outrun everyone else on the race track. The paces/speeds of teh Kentucky Derby and Preakness might have supported their running styles, but they both had to complete the job and win their races. I don’t think it was a fluke; just the best horse won based on teh variables presented ( I’m a chemist). Congrats to both!!!
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Epicenter is GORGEOUS!!! But ha\ve the rest of the 2022 class of three-year-old colts caught up with him? He struggled to get that last furlong in the Derby and couldn’t catch Early Voting in the Preakness. Nothing wrong with that. It just shows how even the horses have become. Now we will see a “real horse race,” I Look forward to the Breeders Cup in the fall.
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More trainers publicly claim to make race decisions based on what is “good for the horse.” Many good, understated trainers have continuously operated like this, as true horsemen ( e.g., Barclay Tagg) did. Nice to see. However, often, "big-name owners have not embraced that philosophy… One question, is this new “trend” or just “flavor of the month?” Here is a question, Once Baffertt returns, will trainers put horses in races; they don’t believe in feeding one’s ego, putting the race participants, horse, and rider at risk, and
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Over this past Triple Crown series have had more comments than not recognizing that THE HORSE DOES THE WORK, and it is about the horse, and the jockey and trainer are the support team. So refreshing. The winning owners and trainers seem pretty humble and appreciate what their horse is and has given them. By comparison, Lukas expressed remorse for NOT RUNNING Etheral Road in Derby, even though teh horse had been off and not doing that great day before the Derby. To me, there is genuinely off about doing that. Why put an “off animal” in a race/competition and put everyone competing at risk? Just so to fulfill your ego? That is sick …
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Finally, the Triple Crown goes forward WITHOUT Bob Baffert, and for the most part, the horse population is LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!! Too bad he won’t just stay away.
Boy I disagree with literally every word of that except the part about Epicenter being gorgeous. Welcome back to the forum.
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