Will we see this in the Belmont..

[TheEdge07]

Gene Klein, owner of Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors, called Woody Stephens a "hall of shame trainer" for his efforts to ruin the filly's chances at the Preakness Stakes.

And in a rare front-page editorial, The Daily Racing Form accused the Hall of Fame trainer, who has won five Belmont Stakes, of "unsportinglike conduct," for the strategy he used in the Preakness.

I think it's very obvious that Woody Stephens was out to deliberately stop our filly from winning," Klein told the New York Daily News. "This cost the owner of Forty Niner a tremendous amount of money because his syndication value was cut in half after that race."

Klein's comments stem from incidents in last Saturday's Preakness, when the Stephens-trained Forty Niner battled with the Wayne Lukas-trained filly from the gate, until both tired in the stretch. Risen Star was the winner, with Winning Colors third and Forty Niner seventh.

In its editorial, the Form said that "(jockey) Pat Day, in riding Forty Niner, bumped, brushed and intimidated the gallant filly . . . so that the filly lost all chance even though there was nothing so flagrant as to warrant a steward's inquiry."

Stephens said he told Day to run with Winning Colors because he thought it was Forty Niner's only chance for victory.

"I don't know why all the heat's coming to me," Stephens said. "All I did was try to figure out the best way to win. . . . Someone must dislike me and (owner-breeder) Claiborne (Farm)."

Winning Colors jockey Gary Stevens accused Stephens of deliberately trying to end the filly's Triple Crown chances without regard to Forty Niner's well-being.

Said Klein: "He (Stephens) is obviously so jealous of Wayne Lukas that he threw away any chance he had to win the race to see that she didn't win. It's probably as stupid a maneuver as anyone has ever pulled in horse racing and one that did the sport a tremendous amount of harm."

GOOD OLE DAYS..

Any chance will see a trainer sacrifice there horse to make sure CC loses?

They ganged up on Smarty Jones inside/out... Even Eddington showed speed that day..lol

[nijinski]

Those were the days ! Stevens was actually very angry with
W Stephens and remained so for a very long time .
Back then trainers did not want their boys diminished by the girls
on dirt . Especially in the classics .

Lukas took it all in stride and with class . He had no choice he sweated
out the complaints and attempts to remove Codex 'from that Preakness
win , by the Firestones .Take a look at that video. Genuine Risk , Mugged ?
Yes the ladies had their troubles .
Different race riding back then IMO

[nijinski]

http://youtu.be/b66OntWOa2Q
http://youtu.be/I0iFI7aLsQY


Both roces

[ultracapper]

What trainer/owner would be so adverse to seeing this horse win that they would sacrifice themselves to try and make it happen? I think that most of the connections in this race believe they have a chance to beat this horse and not going into it with that intention doesn't make sense. Really, Wicked Strong has every bit as much chance of winning this straight up as CalChrome does, in my opinion. I give Chrome the advantage in that he'll get first run at the top of the stretch, but Wicked Strong is very legitimate in this spot with no extra help, in my opinion.

The beat down of Smarty Jones and the ultimate win by a Whitney was the ultimate New York racing establishment story, but I don't see one like that even being a possibility here.

BTW, I had 49er in the derby (another 25 yards and I get that one), and was disappointed with what transpired in the Preakness, because I bet him back, though my F-I-Law was so stoked about Risen Star I could hardly stand sitting with him. Anyway, who owned 49er?

[ultracapper]

I just read the above.....Claiborne. Never mind.

Just wondering what kind of owners can afford to "throw" these kinds of races. Just how often do you have a 3 year old good enough to compete in the Preakness Stakes, and then enter just to throw a deliberate clunker? Claiborne would be that kind of owner I guess. They've probably had about 50 Preakness starters (Exaggeration intended)

[Stillriledup]

I love it when jocks make the favorite earn every inch of the track, i'll never get why an owner would be "mad" at not getting the race handed to him on a silver platter.

[SecretAgentMan]

Hmm.....interesting scenario to look at but there isn't a specific owner, trainer or jockey that keeps repeating what Stephens did back then to warrant consideration of a possibility in this race.........

Real Quiet lost the triple crown by a nose & there wasn't anyone looking to destroy his chances of winning by racing shady or being unsportsman like.......only jockey that didn't want to see him win was*Gary Stevens (he watched his triple crown chances go down the drain in 1997) & he ran the perfect race on Victory Gallop to beat Real Quiet.

Do some people not want to see Chrome win the crown? Yes, & for what reasons remains their own, but I'm hoping its a clean race & may the best horse win........

[Robert Fischer]

...
And in a rare front-page editorial...

That was a good read, thanks for posting TheEdge07.

[pandy]

Gary Stevens is always mad at someone.

[ultracapper]

He's been the "Princess Bitch" of racing for 25 years now.

[nijinski]

Paulick Report had this on GR's Preakness:

The Daily Racing Form chart caller described what happened this way: “Cordero looked back entering the stretch, angled extremely wide, intimidating and lightly brushing Genuine Risk…”

Jacinto Vasquez, the rider of Genuine Risk, claimed foul, saying Cordero had not only intentionally drifted wide but also hit the filly with his stick while whipping Codex. After a lengthy delay, the stewards ruled no change to the order of finish, to the chagrin of many fans in attendance and millions watching at home.

Pimlico was flooded with calls of protest, but two weeks later, the Maryland Horse Racing Commission voted 3-1 to deny an appeal of the stewards’ decision.

The filly’s trainer took the rulings in stride. “They did bump or brush,” Jolley said. “Codex continued on well through the stretch; my filly didn’t.”

Jolley’s assistant, John Nazareth, wasn’t quite so accepting the day after the race, telling Sports Illustrated’s Bill Nack Genuine Risk had a bump on her nose.

“You make one bad call, O.K., but three? Impeding, hitting and contact?” said Nazareth.

Winning trainer Lukas told reporters: “My horse has a bump on the head, too, but he got it in his stall. Unless you can see her jerk her head up, she didn’t get hit.

“Anyway, when you’re running in the Preakness,” Lukas said, “you don’t say, ‘Excuse me, ma’am.

[ultracapper]

So basically, 8 years later, Stephens gave Lukas a dose of his own medicine in exactly the same scenario. Filly wins Derby, filly gets nagged in Preakness. Lukas was kinda quiet after Winning Colors' Preakness. Maybe he saw the Karma of the whole situation and accepted his fate. If so, smart guy.

[clocker7]

OTOH, maybe the jocks will be so sentimental about a TC that they will screw the value bettors over and only pretend to ride. If I were them, I'd be sleepless worrying about it. What a revolting development that would be. :D

[nijinski]

So basically, 8 years later, Stephens gave Lukas a dose of his own medicine in exactly the same scenario. Filly wins Derby, filly gets nagged in Preakness. Lukas was kinda quiet after Winning Colors' Preakness. Maybe he saw the Karma of the whole situation and accepted his fate. If so, smart guy.

I think so , but in reality Cordero rode Codex , so he got the bad rap .
The Firestones were furious .
We know he took her out very wide . Did he really hit her on the nose .
Vasquez said yes and wanted them taken down .

Two fillys with two controversial classic races .

I think if anyone tries to mug CC , Coburn will be all over it . Then again
I wouldn't blame him !

[NY BRED]

given the elimination of several contenders(simply by size of the field),
CC is assuming the status of a heavy favorite presuming he
draws a favorable post(3-6) and the track is maintained fairly .



CC's work on a sloppy track went fine, opinions are he's
looking great, so odds will definitely be 8-5 or lower
based upon the above thoughts.

Based on these thoughts, especially as noted above,
CC is strictly the horse to beat and we will be viewing
victory by America's horse.

Comparable to hitting a huge carryover pick 6 on a
2.00 wager!

[Mr_Ed]

Gene Klein, owner of Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors, called Woody Stephens a "hall of shame trainer" for his efforts to ruin the filly's chances at the Preakness Stakes.

And in a rare front-page editorial, The Daily Racing Form accused the Hall of Fame trainer, who has won five Belmont Stakes, of "unsportinglike conduct," for the strategy he used in the Preakness.

I think it's very obvious that Woody Stephens was out to deliberately stop our filly from winning," Klein told the New York Daily News. "This cost the owner of Forty Niner a tremendous amount of money because his syndication value was cut in half after that race."

Klein's comments stem from incidents in last Saturday's Preakness, when the Stephens-trained Forty Niner battled with the Wayne Lukas-trained filly from the gate, until both tired in the stretch. Risen Star was the winner, with Winning Colors third and Forty Niner seventh.

In its editorial, the Form said that "(jockey) Pat Day, in riding Forty Niner, bumped, brushed and intimidated the gallant filly . . . so that the filly lost all chance even though there was nothing so flagrant as to warrant a steward's inquiry."

Stephens said he told Day to run with Winning Colors because he thought it was Forty Niner's only chance for victory.

"I don't know why all the heat's coming to me," Stephens said. "All I did was try to figure out the best way to win. . . . Someone must dislike me and (owner-breeder) Claiborne (Farm)."

Winning Colors jockey Gary Stevens accused Stephens of deliberately trying to end the filly's Triple Crown chances without regard to Forty Niner's well-being.

Said Klein: "He (Stephens) is obviously so jealous of Wayne Lukas that he threw away any chance he had to win the race to see that she didn't win. It's probably as stupid a maneuver as anyone has ever pulled in horse racing and one that did the sport a tremendous amount of harm."

GOOD OLE DAYS..

Any chance will see a trainer sacrifice there horse to make sure CC loses?

They ganged up on Smarty Jones inside/out... Even Eddington showed speed that day..lol

CC owner not the first to call out Belmontians.