Good article (with video) on the Gentle Touch 360 Crop that was used by all the jockeys in this year’s Oaks and Derby.
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Not at all. I just think we all need to get past this year’s “Triple Crown” hoopla and forget the whole mess.
And maybe next year people will remember to look at the Kentucky Derby as its own race, a classic, in its own right, and not just as the first leg of a non-existent Triple Crown.
What was once a rather obscure little race at an obscure little track out in the west hundreds of miles from the “class” tracks of the East went on to become a classic, then devolved for many into being just one step in a three-part series that people forgot doesn’t exist unless its winner also wins two big – and older – Eastern races. For most of the 21st century people worked themselves up into a frenzy of Triple Crown fever, that went from celebrating the Derby favorite BEFORE Derby Day as if he were already Horse of the Year, to not being satisfied, AFTER he’d won, until he entered the starting gate at Belmont.
If the Derby had not survived its lean years of non-popularity, Saturday’s fiasco would never have happened. Maybe it wouldn’t have happened anyway if there wasn’t more riding on a Derby win than there is riding on each Derby horse.
This year I can look forward to enjoying the Preakness for itself, hopefully to see the winning colors painted on the jockey on the weather vane (if it’s still up there), and remember the likes of
Bold Ruler
Nashua
Native Dancer
Polynesian
Bimelech
Display
and Man o’War,
none of whom ever had a chance at winning the Triple Crown, all of whose names are still well known as well as the names of many of their descendants.
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Well I for one am looking forward to the Preakness as it is hands down my favorite day of the year. We have 13 people joining us which is going to make for a crazy, fun weekend. I only go to Belmont when a TC is on the line so I won’t be attending but am looking forward to a great day of races then too.
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Y’know what blows my mind about this? If MS’s connections are seriously bypassing the Preakness for the “what’s the point, we lost the derby,” reason that I think was initially stated…I mean, all of this aside that horse ran a hell of a race that he potentially - even maybe probably- would have won. If he went on to win the Preakness and/or Belmont, that would exponentially increase his stud value, right? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
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West has also said that MS “runs best off a long layoff” and that the horse was very tired after having run a mile and a quarter through the deep slop. So it’s hard to figure how he is also able to state that if his horse had stayed on top in the Derby, he would have won the Triple Crown. 
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Drama Queen??? :o
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Amen!
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I will pray for you and your friends that it will not be hot and humid and raining with no electricity, plenty of bathrooms, no long food lines (maybe you are in a dining room or tent) and great racing. Although it sounds like you will have fun no matter what.
Well, let’s see what happens if and when the stewards play this video. Very interesting!
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Other than possibly their personal interest why would a steward want to review any additional video after their decision was made final? The stewards viewed official race replay video (5 views). They talked to various participants of the race. They made a unanimous decision. Their job is done.
If this sad case actually makes it to court, then any additional video could possibly be introduced as evidence but other than, the decision is made. Done. Over. Whether the stewards look at any other video or not, the decision is final. It can’t be changed. Bettors have been paid; they aren’t giving their winning back. Only item open for negotiation now is purse money.
I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point there may be ongoing discussion among the KHRC about more transparency and the need to not only announce the decision but, in a big event such as the Derby, explain why and answer questions.
I wonder how much conversation is going on in other states with respect to how to handle other objections/inquiries when it comes time to announce the decision and face the media. I hope other states, in addition to KY, have learned some from this exercise beyond dealing with a potentially controversial decision.
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I would think they would be considering days for Saez. The video–and I haven’t seen it–might have some relevance to that.
Interesting video posted by merrygoround. Makes me love MS a lot–looks like he almost got kicked in the nuts, and kept on going. I am still unsure if War of Will was the cause of his runout.
Regarding the Video, of what use is it? Not being snarky, I want to know. Can the stewards look at this, or are they limited to official videos? If an appeal is made to higher authorities (and, who would they be?) would this video be admissible?
Also, what is the purpose of the video? To change the result, or to keep Saenz from getting a suspension? If the latter, is there any question about him being suspended, given that he pulled MS back to the rail immediately? Whatever the cause of MS moving out, I don’t see reckless or careless riding by Saenz, and I thought that a DQ did not mandate a rider suspension unless the rider rode in an unsafe manner.
I think Luis Saez has a great lawyer. Having watched her evidence video I think she has a point about War of Will causing the whole run-out.
But for the stewards to reverse their decision would mean not only loss of face for them but loss of a lot of money for all the people who bet on long-shot Country House as well as his people.
I don’t bet on horse races and I don’t understand why people do. IMO it takes away from the joy of the sport. I can see a $5 flutter here and there, but not taking it so seriously.
I just hope last week’s fiasco won’t change the sport for the worst.
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Seriously, that video does nothing but annoy me.
It highlights the fact that WOW was hustled out of the gate to get position. (Like…um…the majority of the rest of the Derby field.)
It makes a big deal of the fact that Tyler was visibly restraining WOW early in the race. (As if that doesn’t happen in most races? )
Then it spends a few minutes showing the spot where Tyler is “anticipating” a hole to open up–and guess what, a hole does open up. The video commentator says he made the hole happen. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. But that isn’t the disputed part of the race. Concentrating on it doesn’t help.
The part of the race that got MS DQ’d happens several seconds later. By then, the front of WOW’s body is in the space between MS and LRT (the hole that opened up). At that point WOW owns that space and that lane. Then MS comes outward into WOW’s lane and the horses nearly clip heels. Because MS came off the rail.
To me, that video is a lot of smoke and mirrors. At least 90% of it is irrelevant to the DQ. Portraying Maximus Security and Luis Saez as poor unfortunate victims who had nothing to do with what subsequently happened doesn’t make it true.
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Fwiw…as you might imagine, there’s been a lot of talk about the Derby DQ in central Kentucky over the last week. I’ve probably spoken about it with 25 trainers, jockeys, racehorse owners, and exercise riders. So, a very race-savvy group.
Three quarters of those people felt that Maximum Security should have been taken down by the KY stewards. The remaining people did not. When I would ask them, “Because he didn’t foul/impede War of Will?” I got the same answer every time. “Oh no, he definitely fouled the other horse. But it’s the Derby and the stewards shouldn’t take anyone down.”
Gary West may win his battle to get the win restored. And plenty of people will be cheering for him if he does–whether or not they believe his horse won the race fairly according to the rules of racing. I find that interesting.
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Applause
Thank you, I saw the same things in the video. A bunch of irrelevant misdirection, NORMAL race riding, and selected video editing to influence the viewer to believe someone’s narrative of events.
Tyler G didn’t force a hole. He saw a crack of daylight opening, such would have been a clear path if MS stayed glued to the rail. The “path lane” line drawn in part of the video is off by a couple feet, which may not seem like much, but it is when you only need 36" to squeeze a horse through. The video makes a big deal about Tyler waiting 2 seconds to yank his horse’s teeth out when MS veered out. Ok sure he saw the drift right away, but couldn’t expect MS to go out 5-wide; he probably expected Saez to correct a minor drift immediately, since he was almost at MS flank.
I’m getting rather exasperated at the victim blaming. Saez absolutely doesn’t deserve a suspension; he rode the best he could when MS had a horse moment. But I don’t think it’s necessary to point at WoW to “clear” Luis Saez.
Another thing… If MS felt pressured by WoW, it is extremely unlikely it would cause him to duck out, particularly if WoW was moving to his right flank. A horse feeling pressured or chased runs faster Forward, not sideways. BTDT, try holding a galloping racehorse back when another one runs up his butt…
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I have watched several “the REAL story” videos, and all I see, too, is smoke and mirrors, captions trying to tell us what to think, and MS still making a dangerous, several-path duck out.
But for me, this whole thing at this point isn’t about how many videos lawyers can hunt through and then caption to prove one way or the other. It’s about the rules.
West signed an agreement to abide by the rules of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. He did this voluntarily and presumably after reading what he signed.
One of those rules is that the decision of the stewards at the track is final and not eligible for appeal. I haven’t read anywhere where it adds, “unless you disagree,” or “unless you can find a lawyer to say otherwise,” or “unless you didn’t like it,” or “unless a bunch of nameless strangers on the internet insist that you’ve been 'robbed.” It says the decision is final.
The stewards made a decision. That decision under the rules is final. He agreed to those rules beforehand.
Tough luck, Mr. West. Show some dignity or leave the game if you wish, but don’t protest legally rules that you agreed to abide by yourself.
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Perhaps yes but giving a jock days is something done after the race goes Official. I personally assumed (as previously noted, can be a bad thing) that the stewards, et al who review a race to determine if a jock will get set down for some amount of days may not be the same people who ruled the race official at the completion of the race.
Don’t know (and at this point, not sure I care enough to look :)) who/how KY determines if a jock will get days off mounts in KY.
I’d also agree that I wouldn’t be surprised if Saez does get a few days.
I think the only way Saez will get days is if the KHRC thinks they need to do it to bolster their position on the Derby DQ. Otherwise I suspect they will feel he’s already been punished enough by losing the Derby win, and they won’t rub salt in the wound.
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That’s crazy. He corrected the horse as best he could - it was clearly unanticipated and there was no indication the horse would duck out like that leading up to the incident. He wasn’t whipping left handed while the horse drifted right continuously. There was nothing careless or dangerous about his ride whatsoever, and he was clearly trying to correct course as soon as it started happening. These stewards have decades of experience in racing, some of them a lifetime.
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