Posted on 06/07/2014 2:55:54 PM PDT by Pajamajan
I'm so glad you brought that up, this morning on GMA he fully explained his criticism and put it into full perspective.
all the sports writers criticizing him have no conception about the Triple Crown process and the horses' requirement that they be nominated (that might not be the right word) as Triple Crown candidates.
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20 such horses enrolled in the Derby and only three of those made their announcement that they were going for the Triple Crown.
Neither Tonalist nor Commissioner bothered to even run the first two races of the Crown.
That's the equivalent of entering the third stage of a triathlon and ultimately crossing the finish line ahead of all the other contenders who were burned out from the first two stages...........
bm
HORSE-racing is also the only sport wherein the object of award and honors is the horse, a non-human.
One simply cannot make horses run in every event. They do not know what is happening, that there may be a schedule to hold, nor can they tell you if they just aren’t right. It is not at all the same as any other sport which involves humans or even other horse sports where the human gets the credit.
This silly proposition means every Belmont will be 3 horses because they cannot all hold nor can any organization tell a horse he must run, risk of injury be damned.
The Triple Crown is a mere icing on the cake. It is an artificial construct that grew out the importance of 3 stakes which happened to run annually near in time, and a desire to copy the English construct. Each is important in itself.
Horses are chosen for annual awards by polls of fans and journalists. There simply is no play-off system. Nor is there one for the college football either. Not only can you not compare horses to humans, but you most definitely cannot compare it to team sports. Racing is a pure sport, being individual rather than team, even then it cannot be compared to human athletics.
When talking about physical requirements, fatigue, etc., one can most certainly compare horse racing to human sports (we are both animals who are bound by our physiology). In all human sports we have found it useful to have all teams, individuals, etc. compete after being exposed to as identical physical requirements as possible (especially when competing for the top prize, championship, etc.)
Given that physical preparation is (likely) the most critical aspect of horse racing, it is odd to me that horse racing has not adapted (as every other sport has) and tried to equate, as closely as possible, the physical state of the horses running for the sport’s top honor.
Horse racing is in decline. It surely won’t attract new fans if, when they watch, all they see is people trying to be the “spoiler.” For example, between 1948 and 1973 (the time between Citation and Secretariat winning the TC), there were 7 years (out of 25) in which a horse won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness but lost the Belmont. An almost identical (but slightly elevated) pattern happened in the 25 years following Affirmed winning the TC (9 years with a horse winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness but losing the Belmont). However, the majority of these happened in the later half (last 8 years) of the 25 year period. In the last 8 years of the 25-year period, there were 5 years (out of 9 - just over 50%) in which a horse won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and lost the Belmont. For an equal comparison, looking at the 8 years prior to Secretariat winning the TC, there were 4 years (out of 7 - just over 50%) with a horse winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness but losing the Belmont occurred in this 17 year period, BUT, when that happened in the 1960s and 1970s, the increase in rate of first-two race winners predicted a TC.
Today, we seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Since the end of the 25 year period, we are averaging a horse winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness but losing the Belmont every third year - a rate of 33% compared to a rate of 28% in the period between Citation and Secretariat winning the TC. Combine a lack of seeing the “big championship,” the TC, and the possibility of owners trying to be the “spoiler” (which reeks of selfish interest and lack of loyalty to the sport - loyalty seems to be one of the most important things to fans), and it’s not hard to see why people are becoming disillusioned and disinterested.
This is not about physical prep. Maybe more mental and emotional prep.
Bottom line, you cannot deny this: a horse has no idea what is planned, he really has no idea this is a job and competition. He chooses nothing; humans choose for him if they want to race him. He has no say.
He doesn’t plan because he is not human, and he cannot tell us when he doesn’t feel well and not up to the level of the stake requested of him.
Thus it is up to humans to figure that out as best they can.
Making this a requirement is ludicrous. What meaning has a TC when it will always result in a couple horses competing and nary a full field. That is not competition.
Increasing requirements is another thing. There really should be BETTER horses in these alleged elite races. Many times most of them are really dismal.
Mental and emotional preparation - those sure are some fuzzy things to quantify. In every other sport, we focus on equating the one thing we can control - physical exposure to the sport. Again, it is odd that horse racing has chosen not to do this and it leaves many casual observers scratching their heads.
As for the “three-race” requirement, by your logic, having qualifying trials and heats in other racing sports is ludicrous, but yet, everyone seems to agree this is the best way to do it. I don’t understand why there is such resistance and hostility toward bringing horse racing “up to date.” Every other sport aligns financial incentives with winning (you keep winning, you make more money and if you lose, you’re out) but horse racing has aligned the biggest financial incentives in the sport’s biggest races with being the “spoiler.”
If horses must be in all three races and only the “best” advance, please explain to me how this is considered the best form of competition in every other sport but is somehow “not competition” in horse racing. What exactly is anti-competitive about you win, you’re in, you lose/sit-out, you’re out?
Riding an animal that does all the work is considered a sport?”””
Have you ever ridden a horse in your life?
These are 3 year old Thorobred stallions who often are about 68 inches tall at the withers-—(the small hump in front of the saddle at the base of their neck). They weigh about 1200 pounds, and are at the stage of their life where ‘it will be very nice when their brain catches up with their body’. They can be goofy & not so attentive as one might like. California Chrome strikes me as a very mature minded horse for his age.
It takes tremendous strength & balance to ride one of these critters at a speed of about 35 mph= while bumping & jostling is common & constant.
One horse loses it’s footing, and a big pileup can occur—with crippling injuries lurking.
The injury Chrome received as shown on TV isn’t a permanent injury, but is it a painful one. The jockey said that the injury occurred coming out of the starting gate, and he thought the #3 post position horse struck Chrome’s hoof.
The back of a horse’s hoof is softer- more like cartilege . with twin areas called HEEL BULBS. Chrome received a hard cut to his right front foot heel bulbs. It slashed him & it was still bleeding after the race. He ran the entire race with this injury.
This will grow back out & he will most likely be sound within 8 weeks or less. I have had horses which got a similar injury, but I don’t think mine were as deep as Chrome got. Tincture of Time will be the best medication, along with keeping his impacted area clean & free of contaminants. Betadine & anti-biotics & good wrapping to cover it are the correct procedure.
I am astonished that he finished 4th, and NOT DEAD LAST.
I also am convinced that he would have won without the pain of this injury.
NO-—He is named for his markings.
He is a California bred horse.
“Chrome” refers to 4 white stocking on his legs & his white blaze.
A horse with such markings is considered to ‘have chrome’.
I have a registered Arabian stallion with 4 high white stockings & a blaze. He is also Chestnut in color, but not as ‘red chestnut’ as this horse we are cheering for.
Chrome suffered an injury to his right front hoof heel bulbs at the start of the ride. Jockey thought the #3 horse clipped Chrome coming out of the gate. NOT an uncommon injury.
I am astonished that he finished 4th instead of dead last with that kind of injury. I do NOT think it was the distance. It was the injury. It was bleeding when he was taken off the track & unsaddled after the finish line. It was cleaned with Betadine & treated & wrapped to keep the wound clean. He also got a shot of anti-biotics to keep infection at a distance. He will probably be on a 10 day prescription of anti-biotics. It will heal, and he should be totally sound within 8 weeks.
I have horses & I know what that injury can do to a horse’s performance.
He has raced with that nasal strip all of his life-—as many other horses have. It is a product that has been out on the market for about 15 years.
11 horses went to the post at Belmont.
ONLY 3 had run both of the other 2 races. General A Rod & Ride On Curlin & California Chrome.
The 1st place & 2nd place horses did NEITHER of those 2 races.
I like the owner’s comparison to a Triathilon:
You have to swim——bike & run at such an event.
These horses skipped the swim—bike part & only showed up for the 3rd part. Ain’t fair.
20 such horses enrolled in the Derby and only three of those made their announcement that they were going for the Triple Crown.”””
MY understandig is slightly different:
ALL the horses had to ‘nominate” for the Triple Crown to run in the Derby.
I do not know the nomination fee or the cut-off date for the Triple Crown.
However, many ‘nominated horse’ owners did not then pay to ENTER the Derby in May, which is another fee.
Many horses owners also didn’t pay the entry fee for the Preakness & run them there.
11 horses went to the gate on last Saturday. The 1st & 2nd place horses did not run in either of the prior 2 races. Only 3 horses did all 3 races. Ride On Curlin-—General A Rod—and California Chrome.
Not in the Belmont they didn’t.
And every other owner who’d make a big deal out of the nasal strip would be telling me that they’re concerned with their horse’s wind.
Secretariat didn’t use one. Based on his time of about 2:24 and Tonalist’s time of roughly 2:29, Secretariat would have beaten Tonalist by about 20 lengths and California Chrome by about 26 lengths, and that without a nasal strip.
What really pisses me off is how all these writers and sports show hosts are piling on this guy now. Hacks who know absolutely nothing about what it takes to produce a champion horse such as CC..........
CC is a great little horse and you can't take anything away from his and his owners accomplishments to date.
As a side note, following Secretariat's death, a necropsy was performed and it was discovered that his heart was approx. 2 1/3 times larger than a normal horse's heart...........
He also sired approx. 600 kids, not a bad job to hold when one is retired............LOL!
CC is a great horse, just not a Triple Crown-worth one...No shame in saying that, there’s only been 11 of them.
First of all, there are win-and-in races now for the Breeder’s Cup. Which is truly the only thing close to real championships, not the TC series.
Second of all, you just do not get it. Horses are not the same as humans. You cannot expect a horse to head into a whole schedule and make it all. Likely they will bow out and lose the entry fee for many and then DQ for the end game. That is not fair when the animal is injured or ailing. And that happens frequently, partly exactly because the horse cannot communicate and the humans started him when he wasn’t actually all well. It is not the same as human athletes.
I like the old point system for the entire year, but that is gone probably because it did not account for all the variables. But it did point to annual honors, helping to pick best horses not by stakes won but by scoring. Tweak a bit and it would be a good thing.
With the existing rules, I can live with that. The Triple is what it is and that's what makes it so special when a horse can actually achieve it........
I hadn’t heard that.... but I could tell watching him run that something wasn’t right. I just assumed it wasn’t “his day”. But that makes sense.
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