Turner Trashes Kent

Stevie Belmont · Postby **Stevie Belmont** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:51 pm

http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/45678.htm

majxmom · Postby **majxmom** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:09 pm

I think Turner was being incredibly unfair. He says the horse would have finished ahead of most of the horses in the field. Baloney! He was just about last when Meaux pulled him up. He was running backwards.

Then he says that the horse should have been drilled more for the Belmont. ??? Has he not heard that they were barely keeping his feet on?

I think this is the very definition of spouting off. Normally I have respect for him, but :evil:

Tucumcari · Postby **Tucumcari** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:18 pm

On the flip side I think it's a great article!

George William Smith · Postby **George William Smith** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:45 pm

Tucumcari wrote:On the flip side I think it's a great article!

Absolutely agree, Jockeys make mistakes, Jockeys can ride great. When they ride great they should be well pleased and praised. They have to make quick decisions, some good, some poor and at Kent's level they are paid very well indeed.

When they ride like Kent in the biggest race for a horse that already has won the first two legs, there is no defense possible of Kent. It began a few seconds after the start and continued down the stretch with Big Brown trying to run and Kent saying no....and further continued far past the end of the ride by Kent not even going to see if the horse was alright after the race.

This ride will go down in infamy....and no one but God knows whether BB could have finished in the superfecta. For the bettors, he should be ruled off. The likely suspension for such a ride in Australia would be well into months.

Finally, I agree he should have been run outta the state for not fessing up right away.......and making the public think his horse had broken down....and right after Eight Belles....now if Eight Belles hadn't died and no one was watching then maybe....he could have been given time to pick up his tack and leave unpressured.

zinn21 · Postby **zinn21** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:45 pm

I think there is much truth to what Turner said. Kent's ride was awful and he pulled the horse up because he felt he could not win.

That said it was a team effort that got BB beat and that includes BB himself.

turtles11756 · Postby **turtles11756** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:49 pm

Big Brown is no Seattle Slew. if another 3 year old ever comes along again he will have been the 2 year old CHAMPION and he'll run every time on any surface including "broken glass" and "Big Sandy"

Tucumcari · Postby **Tucumcari** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:22 pm

We all know that, and I don't think anyone is saying they are equals.

ratherrapid · Postby **ratherrapid** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:36 pm

Every racing commission should pass a rule:

Any jockey who has ANY concern that his horse may be impaired(right or wrong) need not (is required not to) persevere with the horse.

After Eight Belles, how could the rule be anything else?

I'm unable to imagine anyone faulting KD, just my opinion. The only mistake KD made is failing in the correct manner to articulate his concerns at the press cconference. Anybody who watches that race can see that BB was striding completely differently from his prior races. There are numerous opinions at www.horseshoes.com that the post race video shows BB sore and favoring the left front.

BB gave plenty of signs pre-race and during the race that somethign was amiss. KD was protecting the horse and himself. He made absolutely the correct decision even if that jugment is wrong. They to date are unable to stop at the quarter pole and do a nuclear scan.

horsenuts · Postby **horsenuts** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:41 pm

ratherrapid wrote:Every racing commission should pass a rule:

Any jockey who has ANY concern that his horse may be impaired(right or wrong) need not persevere with the horse.

After Eight Belles, how could the rule be anything else?

I'm unable to imagine anyone faulting KD, just my opinion. The only mistake KD made is failing to appropriately articulate his concern for the horse. Anybody who watches that race can see that BB was striding completely differently from his prior races. There are numerous opinions at www.horseshoes.com that the post race video shows BB sore and favoring the left front.

BB gave plenty of signs pre-race and during the race that somethign was amiss. KD was protecting the horse and himself. He made absolutely the correct decision even if that jugment is wrong. They to date are unable to stop at the quarter pole and do a nuclear scan.

FWIW, I thought BB was 'off' in his left front as well when he galloped under the wire. And that is no surprise considering his feet have been held together by wire and acrylic for months now.

hdembski · Postby **hdembski** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:50 pm

Of course the article doesn't discuss that BB was off the roids and so was Crane who finished second last. To me that's more the story than Kent's ride. Only good thing about the article was praising Woody Stevens who was a master.

Kent fought with the horse yet BB never had a serious excuse like checking or taking up. He finally had an opening and truth is the horse had nothing and had NO chance to win. We all have seen aneough races to know when a horse gets away on a easy lead he is down the road. If kent knew he had no chance to win, in his mind he couldn't know something wasn't wrong. He made a quick decision and it was the right one. Turner is like your grandpa who shouts out "when i was a boy everything was a nickle". The game has changed

Foggytrip · Postby **Foggytrip** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:55 pm

What hasnt changed is the stick that champions are measured with. Champions win the Belmont. Mr Turner won the Belmont, Rick Dutrow shit the bed

Tucumcari · Postby **Tucumcari** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:20 pm

westover · Postby **westover** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:59 pm

RR That is one thing we agree on 100%. Well written.

That is a great article.

I have been asked 100x why the bold.. i am bloody blind LOL not literally of course so maybe everyone could write in bold for me so i can see the posts better!! lol

Bunty Lawless · Postby **Bunty Lawless** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:18 pm

Foggytrip wrote:What hasnt changed is the stick that champions are measured with. Champions win the Belmont. Mr Turner won the Belmont, Rick Dutrow shit the bed

That was special. :oops:

Intrinsic Worth · Postby **Intrinsic Worth** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:42 pm

majxmom wrote:I think Turner was being incredibly unfair. He says the horse would have finished ahead of most of the horses in the field. Baloney! He was just about last when Meaux pulled him up. He was running backwards.

Then he says that the horse should have been drilled more for the Belmont. ??? Has he not heard that they were barely keeping his feet on?

I think this is the very definition of spouting off. Normally I have respect for him, but

I think what he was trying to say about the feet thing is that everyone was being told by Dutrow and his farriers that BB's feet were a non-issue. That they were training him like any other horse. In reality, they were babying the feet and not putting proper training into the horse to prepare him for the Belmont. The feet were an issue and Dutrow knows it, but can't say it for some reason (for his stud career????)

I believe that if the horse did feel different, it was in the best interest of the horse and rider to pull the horse up. Horses do move funny even before something happens.

However, if Kent did pull BB up to save face, he should be suspended. How anyone can prove it though, is a tough one, expecially with the whole Eight Belles issue.

Honestly, I have never liked Kent as a jockey. When it comes down to a big race, I think he falls apart. Dutrow wanted Prado and I'm sure he's rubbing it into the owners faces about how badly Kent rode and he's just fuming.

At the end of the day, Dutrow really has no choice but to stick with Kent, unless the owners change their minds, which I don't see happening.