Curlin and Jess Jacka$$

[steward]

Now you both can go away. The horse had telegraphed his recent form with lame Beyers, and then his ego-tripping owner handicapped him further by running him on synthetics. Swift move, dude.

Jess: you had a chance to make a statement about the unacceptability of running the BC on artificial surfaces, but your ego overcame your judgment. You played their game - how did it work out for you?

Please do American racing a favor and find another pasttime.

PS: After thinking this over, I actually like the new setup with more races. The best move was to run the fillies and mares on a day when Americans weren't watching, so that if an injury or two had happened, we weren't going to be subjected to the weeks of blubbering and rancid amateur poetry.


Keeping his powder dry until 2010,

steward

[horsenuts]

Now you both can go away. The horse had telegraphed his recent form with lame Beyers, and then his ego-tripping owner handicapped him further by running him on synthetics. Swift move, dude.

Jess: you had a chance to make a statement about the unacceptability of running the BC on artificial surfaces, but your ego overcame your judgment. You played their game - how did it work out for you?

Please do American racing a favor and find another pasttime.

PS: After thinking this over, I actually like the new setup with more races. The best move was to run the fillies and mares on a day when Americans weren't watching, so that if an injury or two had happened, we weren't going to be subjected to the weeks of blubbering and rancid amateur poetry.


Keeping his powder dry until 2010,

steward

I believe we are going to see more synthetic tracks all across the US and soon. Racing needs to do everything it can to enhance its image with the publlc and if that means synthetics for injury reduction then that's what we'll have. The Derby will be very interesting should CDs make the switch because then you would have the top European horses coming over for the Derby bumping many US horses off the starters list based on Graded or Group placed earnings. The future of racing is international and you're already seeing it more and more as horses travel across continents for races.


As for Curlin.... the bloom was fading as his last two races showed where good horses pushed him hard. Today, he faced great horses and they were to much for him as he is past his peak. The track made a good ready made excuse though.

[steward]

If Euro horses make one or two lifetime appearances here just to grab the big races, Americans will abandon the sport even more. Yeah, fans love it when total strangers dominate the action.

Suicidally queering the surfaces to favor their stock doesn't seem too bright, either.

But, hey, it's cool, it's hip ...

[horsenuts]

If Euro horses make one or two lifetime appearances here just to grab the big races, Americans will abandon the sport even more. Yeah, fans love it when total strangers dominate the action.

Suicidally queering the surfaces to favor their stock doesn't seem too bright, either.

But, hey, it's cool, it's hip ...

The US just didn't have much in the way of top stock this year outside of Curlin(who was past his peak), Zenyata, Midshipmen and Midnight Lute. The Euros have been dominate on the turf for decades now. The fact is the US has sold much of their better bloodstock to europe and the Dubai families the past 20-30 years. Look at the leading buyers at the top bloodstock sales and the majority have gone overseas. Lukas no longer buys for US owners as he once did so the Euros have even less competition. And the results have been evident since the Breeders Cup inception as the Euros have dominated many of the turf races and now with synthetics they can show even further dominance

[BenB]

The only thing differs that the horses are trained in europe, most of them are by us studs.

Steward I,ve written it here before and will do it again american racing and training will have to change.

America is a part of the world, america is not the world whether you like it or not.

Waiting for 2010 that the bc might be held on an dirt track again which favors the americans might be very stupid.

And there will be much more artificial tracks throughout the us thats for sure no doubt about that.

Selling the best stock around for big money will have its effects on you. This was seen also in France, they are now a minor player in europe instead of a leading party.

[steward]

Sure, American football players should doff their gear and become soccer sissies, too. Because it's so-o-o-o international and cool.

[BenB]

Curlin just faded the last furlong.
After he won big money in the desert, his form went away, so this lose could happen even on a dirt track.
He did not sprankle in his race he lacked the authority

Zenyatta a true champ, took her track with her, as every big champ used to do.

Zenyatta will now be crowned as HOY in my opinion, and she deserves it.
9 out of nine will be enough

[steward]

All Jackson had to do is be practical. He could have said," I decline to ask Curlin to run on synthetics, just as I wouldn't ask a snow skier to go on waterskis. They are two different sports."

He would have had another HOY award, and wouldn't have looked so foolish.

[Barbaro06]

And if Big Brown didn't rip off part of his patched up hoof and ran while Curlin didn't, we would have heard the howls of Curlin dodging Big Brown.

IMO, the BC didn't thrill me. I'm not keen on two days of racing and one that I can't watch because I'm at work. Why not have it Saturday-Sunday?

[Bid]

The synthetic track issue reminds me of the astro-turf debate in football. A lot of people, including me, didn't like it. It changed the game and skewed the record books. I think it turned out to be a failed venture, but you have to play the hand you are dealt. I would have been pretty unhappy if the Eagles got to the superbowl and said we aren't going to play because the game was on astro-turf. I don't know Jackson or his motivation, but Curlin needed to run that race. The fans deserved to see him and racing needed the platform. I'd like to think I would have entered him for the sport's sake if he was mine.
One thing astro-turf did was change the way teams drafted. They looked more for speed and quickness rather than the big grinder types. If synthetic tracks cause us to breed differently, then this could be a good thing. As Louis and others have often stated, we are breeding ourselves into the Vet's office. We'll breed to a dirt stallion with 5 career starts but ignore a turf stallion with 25 starts who retired sound. Maybe this will force us to rethink and breed more soundness (even if unintentionally) by forcing people to look at other sire lines. Who knows- maybe the bone structure gets heavier again, horses make 20 starts in a career etc. Maybe we'll stop running giant animals on toothpicks. Just a thought...
I liked the additional races and 2 day format, but I agree it needs to be Sat & Sun. Of course I still don't understand why all the sales are on Mondays either. I guess the people with money don't work.

[Bid]

Another thought- I believe the BC was steroid free yesterday if I heard right. If that's the case, maybe it wasn't the surface that hurt the American horses as much as having to run clean.

[dray33]

I thought Curlin ran a nice race, all things considered... and i applaud Jackson for taking a shot.

[mightyhijames]

And if Big Brown didn't rip off part of his patched up hoof and ran while Curlin didn't, we would have heard the howls of Curlin dodging Big Brown.

IMO, the BC didn't thrill me. I'm not keen on two days of racing and one that I can't watch because I'm at work. Why not have it Saturday-Sunday?

we had this same discussion yesterday. we really enjoyed both days; i fortunately had the luxury of taking half a day from work and they knew exactly where i was headed. but wouldn't the sunday races bump into the football games? God forbid.....................

[bdw0617]

I thought Curlin ran a nice race, all things considered... and i applaud Jackson for taking a shot.

+1

how in the world anyone can make a ripping post about a man who is playing 3 million dollars a year in just insurance to watch his horse run, is truely, beyond me.

sickening

[LB]

All Jackson had to do is be practical. He could have said," I decline to ask Curlin to run on synthetics, just as I wouldn't ask a snow skier to go on waterskis. They are two different sports."

He would have had another HOY award, and wouldn't have looked so foolish.

Luckily for racing, Jess Jackson is a better sport than you are.