Photo raises BIG questions

[karlskorner]

From the Miami Herald;

A photograph of KD winning jockey Jose Santos has racing officials of Churchill Downs questioning what was in Santos hand as he crossed the finish line aboard Funny Cide last Saturday.

The photo which ran in several newspapers depicts a dark area in the space between santos right hand and his whip.

Santos acknowledged Friday he carried an object in his hand during the race and described it as a "cue" ring to call outriders. No body ever heard of a "cue" ring. The story is rather long.

From the enlarged photo in the Herald, it shows Santo's index finger wrapped around what appears as positive end of a AA battery, the terminal shines in the sun, his thumb and next 3 fingers are wrapped around the whip

[Pace Cap'n]

www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5828759.htm

[karlskorner]

What the above story in the Miami Herald failed to show is an enlarged photo of Santos right hand, his index finger is wrapped around a round object about the size of an AA battery with the terminal shining in the sunlight. Todays edition of the Miami Herald shows this object.

[Pace Cap'n]

Save the photo to "Picture-it" and zoom in on his whip hand. The object is not visible, but there is no doubt that he has something in his hand besides the whip.

Man, that's just what racing needs right now. First the article about the good doctor and now this.

Say it ain't so, Jose

BTW, with all the technology these days, why would a rider need to carry anything? Just build it into the whip. Or how about implants with a remote, just sit in the stands and press the button.

It might be interesting to know who made the rumored $200,000 win bet.

[Show Me the Wire]

I played the derby video, in slo-mo both forward and backward, I recorded from the replay show and although it is very difficult to say with certainty it looks like Santos is dropping something from his hand after the finish line, while he is twirling the whip back into his hand. It is difficult to say because I do not have the capabilities to enlarge the image and the object seems to be blend in with the black of his boot.

What seems apparent is that Santos has a firm grip with all his fingers on the whip, but his pointer is not actually touching the whip. The pointer finger seems to be grasping something firmly between the whip and Santos’ hand., prior to the finish line. After Santos twirls the whip after the finish line the object is no longer between the whip and Santos, fingers.

I hope I am wrong and someone can clarify what happened after the finish line.

Regards,
Show Me the Wire

In mythical times all things were whole.

[keilan]

Looks like either a ham sandwich or a buzzer; if it’s the latter I hope he is never allowed to sit another horse.

Nice to see you again SMTW

[Figman]

http://tinyurl.com/b54y

Reading paragraph seven in this story about NICK ZITO, is he talking about "during a race" when he states "after the start?" Could this be such a case? It is generally known that anything mixed with DMSO goes right thru the skin immediately.

[sq764]

If you were going to try to pull off something like this in the most prominent race of the year, wouldn't you try to do a better job in concealing this 'device'?

Wouldn't it be a lot 'safer' to embed the device in the whip?

[Tom]

Duh???!
Of course it was not a cue ring - cue rings are blue.
It looks like it might be a knfelin pin. These are legal.

[Show Me the Wire]

Santos wears his bracelet in an unusual place. I am confused about Santos' unusual placement of his bracelet and Tom's statement. I agree Tom knfelin pins are legal, but I thought knfelin pins have flat black finishes and not shiny metalic finishes.

So I have to think Santos was not holding a knfelin pin.

Regards,
Show Me the Wire

Perception is reality.

[superfecta]

Enlarged the photo and sadly it looks like a battery.Wrapped in black tape and a shiny tip.Can't tell if its a 9 volt or AA battery,but it doesn't look good.

[PaceAdvantage]

When they tell me what GARY STEVENS passed to PAT DAY during Thunder Gulch's win, THEN AND ONLY THEN, will I be able to move onto this little witch hunt.....

In my opinon, the video of Thunder Gulch's derby is 100% MORE DAMNING than this photo......

But, because Thunder Gulch was a KY bred from high profile connections, they all pooh-poohed the incident as nothing more than an innocuous shadow, which is TOTAL BS if anyone seriously looked at the video and the stills from the video....

[Lefty]

9 volt, AA? Gee, I wish I could get one of these little suckers that were that powerful. Really, how much of a shock could such a small battery deliver? Where's an electrician when you need one?

[Pace Cap'n]

The close-up Karl referred to:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/slideshow.htm?content_id=5828989&pub_name=miamiherald&language=en&palette_name=blue_complement&site_name=miami&component_title=&component

The second picture.

Lefty: Stun guns use 9V batteries.

[Lefty]

Pace Cap, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

[Bubbles]

Hey...

http://nybreds.com/racing/ky_derby/derby1.html


Look at the front shot where you can see Santos celebrating aboard 'Cide. Could someone please tell me what that black-and-yellow thing is? Maybe I'm just being a raving lunatic, but maybe it's proof of something illegal. Inform me with any details...

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally posted by Bubbles
Could someone please tell me what that black-and-yellow thing is?

Please don't tell me you're talking about the NUMBER BADGE on his sleeve??????? Boy, whip people up into a frenzy and you'll never know what they'll find on a NY bred....LOL

BTW, what's that thing up in the sky over Santos's left shoulder....is it the UFO that helped him win the Derby????


==PA


PS. Please take no offense to my comments...just having fun, and letting off some steam at the same time....I find it utterly amazing how the press has basically convicted this guy in such short a time, yet they treated the Stevens/Day incident in 1995 with kid gloves, giving them every benefit of the doubt while they "investigated" the situation....

Remember, those doing these investigations (CD and KY state stewards) come from the SAME STOCK THAT FAILED TO RUN A POST-RACE DRUG TEST ON HOLY BULL in 1994!!!

[GR1@HTR]

I'd like to see a shocker attached to some of these jockeys to get them into gear...

Seriously, to train my dog I used some shock treatment (recommended by the vet)...As soon as you zap them they take off like a rocket...Good burst of acceleration...

[Tom]

Originally posted by GR1@HTR
I'd like to see a shocker attached to some of these jockeys to get them into gear...

Seriously, to train my dog I used some shock treatment (recommended by the vet)...As soon as you zap them they take off like a rocket...Good burst of acceleration... \

The ole F1 basttery, eh?

[Tom]

....a 6 volt battery???:rolleyes:

[anotherdave]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
BTW, what's that thing up in the sky over Santos's left shoulder....is it the UFO that helped him win the Derby????





I'm still on the floor laughing over that one, PA!

AD

[cj]

That picture doesn't really mean anything, its something, but no way to tell what it is...simple answer, have Santos provide the stewards with whatever it was he has in his hand.

CJ

[PaceAdvantage]

I agree CJ...nobody has a CLUE what is in his hands...nobody except Santos....

People can surmise all they want what it is.....If I were representing Santos, the proper answer to the question "What was in your hand?" would have been "Simple...it was a lucky rabbit's foot!"

Case closed....LOL


And as for a "Cue Ring" he probably IS telling the truth!! If nobody knows what the heck a "Cue Ring" is, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD BE USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE??


==PA

[Tom]

"What was that in your hand, Jose?"
"Are you accusing ....er, a, I mean a, ummm, CUE RING!
Yeah, that's it, a CUE RING!"
"What's a cue ring, Jose?"
"WHY ARE YOU FOCUSING ON NEGATIVE THINGS? I WANT A LAWYER!"

[Figman]

Watch FUNNY CIDE past the wire during the gallop out. If Jose had something in his hand, how could he pat congratulations to FUNNY CIDE on the neck with the flat palm of his hand just yards past the finish line?????? Oh I know, he dropped the object on the track but no one saw that and the object disintergrated upon hitting the dirt. Or maybe he deftly threw it into the infield? All this is an attempt by the inept Miami Herald to get back its lost readership..

[Pace Cap'n]

Earlier today I was positive he had something in his hand besides the whip. Now I am not so sure.

Another picture:

www.msnbc.com/news/911875.asp?0cv=CB10

[PaceAdvantage]

Well, if you believe the photo on MSNBC, then there is absolutely no doubt he was carrying NOTHING besides the whip....

BOTH those photos on MSNBC clear him...one clearly shows NOTHING in his hand, and the other CLEARLY shows Bailey's silks coming through....


Thanks for posting this link....it deserves it's own thread....

[Tom]

THIS phot , to me, shows clearly he IS carrying something- I don't believe that is silks showing through-wrong color!

[karlskorner]

Spent some time today in the press box with my friend of 17 years. who co-authored the story in the Miami Herald. He was writing the "rest of the story", I don't think it will be published as "they" want to put this to bed as soon as psossible.

The one thing our Latin riders fall back on is "no habla English", they jerk off the stewards every which way. This Opera ain't over till the fat lady sings.

[PaceAdvantage]

What story is that? That NOTHING was in the photo?? There is NO story without the photo. And even before these new photos showed up on MSNBC (AP photo), I was coming to the conclusion that this story is NO story.

Prove me wrong.

Your going to have me believe that the ultra-powerful HORSE RACING lobby is going to be able to squash your friends story (one of the greatest scandals of the year)?? Even Clinton couldn't do that to his scandal....and he was/is a very powerful man....

Give me a break....

[PaceAdvantage]

karl,

If your friend really has something, ain't nobody in the world could stop him from publishing it. How about the internet. If he has something, and 'they' put him down, I'LL PUBLISH IT RIGHT HERE. We're not the biggest site in the world by any means, but a few people in horseracing read this site...I'll be happy to post whatever factual information backed up by sources your friend has.

I'm sure by the time 'they' get to my web host's servers and shut my site down, somebody important would have a chance to get the 'rest of the story'.


==PA


PS. Sorry for the sarcasm, but this whole thing has gotten my blood boiling. This story is murky enough without you coming on here saying there is more to the story, but "it will never see the light of day".

[karlskorner]

Now that everybody has read the story and saw all the photos, has anybody seen or found the "cue ring" or Q-ray or what ever it was translated as.

Nobody found it yet, of course not, it's on his left hand.

You might want to read a story in DRF, it covers your favorite "batttery" story.

www.drf.com/news/article/46285.html

I''ll pass your suggestion on to the co-author tomorrow, doubt if he will be interested. My feelings, this is going to die very quickly for the good of the industry.

Like Will Rogers said "I only know what I read in the papers"

[PaceAdvantage]

If everything acted for the good of the industry, and there is some sort of conspiracy in place to prevent bad racing news from reaching the surface, then this would have never come about in the first place.

The only reason it will die is if there is no story. If there is a story left, it will never die.

[PaceAdvantage]

As for the DRF article, I love this quote:

"The photo, taken by Jamie Squire of Getty Images, appears to clearly show part of a small, bronze-colored, metallic object in Santos's right hand, with which he also is carrying his whip. "


Are these people looking at the same photo I was??? CLEARLY SHOWS??? Unreal....

[PaceAdvantage]

I am looking at a full page photo of Santos and Funny Cide coming down the stretch at CD in the Derby. It appeared on the front page of the DRF a day or two after the race. Santos's right hand is clearly and completely wrapped around the whip as he raises it to strike Funny Cide.

Do you mean to tell me he transferred this supposed battery to his whipping hand after the race was over so that he could give the colt a jolt to make it look like he was pulling up strongly after the race?? I know a lot of people put stock into how a horse pulls up after a race, but this is ridiculous!!

[karlskorner]

The photo I saw is the same as described by DRF.

I still say the whole thing dies for the "good" of the industry, just like the story of the kindly old Vet from Kentucky. Let's see what happens Tuesday

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally posted by karlskorner
Spent some time today in the press box with my friend of 17 years. who co-authored the story in the Miami Herald. He was writing the "rest of the story", I don't think it will be published as "they" want to put this to bed as soon as psossible.

The one thing our Latin riders fall back on is "no habla English", they jerk off the stewards every which way. This Opera ain't over till the fat lady sings.


Karl,

Hate to bring this up, but I just need a follow-up here. What is your opinion about all this now that the dust has settled. Do you still believe your friend (I assume Carlson???) Do you still believe the following quote from your original post in this thread:

"From the enlarged photo in the Herald, it shows Santo's index finger wrapped around what appears as positive end of a AA battery, the terminal shines in the sun, his thumb and next 3 fingers are wrapped around the whip"


==PA

[karlskorner]

I don't mind you bringing it up, just wondered what took you so long.

I guess you "just had to be there". The original photo ran in the Ft.Lauderdale paper. The Miami Herald ran it on Sat. when I saw it and wrote the post. When I went to the press box to look at it, it was every ones opinion ( including the 3 stewards ) that something wasn't right.
Remember that it was faxed to the stewards at CD on "Friday", who were of the opinion that it needed investigation. We're talking of the original photo, before everyone got busy with 200x enlargements. It was at that point that the Sports Editor had to make a decision on the strength of the CD's stewards comment.

BAD decision on his part, especially after all the enlargements were published. So I guess he went for the "scoop" looking for a Pulitzer. It sure sold a lot of newspapers throughout the country and got a lot of people interested in the Preakness and Belmont. but a BAD decision. I just read the paper, I don't own it.

Did Carlson misinterpret Jose over the phone, no question about it, hell I don't understand 1/10th of what the Jamaicans with dreadlocks are talking to me about in the paddock. It was wrong, should never have happened, a lot of people "just broke through the gate"

[PaceAdvantage]

Thanks for the reply Karl....appreciate it!!