Let's hear it for Barry Irwin/Team Valor International and Animal Kingdom

[andymays]

Great job! Great race!

Hats off to John Velasquez and Graham Motion as well.

[BeatTheChalk]

I especially like the statement that Irwin made -- while being interviewed
by Costas. Irwin said " I am tired of TRAINERS LYING TO ME !!!! " :mad:

[Mineshaft]

Barry posts on here so interesting to see why he threw some trainers under the bus on national TV.

[Rapid Grey]

I especially like the statement that Irwin made -- while being interviewed
by Costas. Irwin said " I am tired of TRAINERS LYING TO ME !!!! " :mad:

Pretty classless imo, I'm sure he's used plenty of trainers over the years but to the casual fan the only one they will think he is referring to is Wayne Catalano, and it's hard to find what he could have done wrong based on the pps.

[PaceAdvantage]

Barry posts on here so interesting to see why he threw some trainers under the bus on national TV.He didn't name any names, so I'm not sure how you can accurately make such a statement.

[Watcher]

What was he referring to? Toby's Corner?

[andymays]

He doesn't hold anything back and I like that. :ThmbUp:

[PaceAdvantage]

Pretty classless imo, I'm sure he's used plenty of trainers over the years but to the casual fan the only one they will think he is referring to is Wayne Catalano, and it's hard to find what he could have done wrong based on the pps.Why would the casual fan, especially, think that?

[toussaud]

I'm pretty sure that's the least scripted moment in your life lol. give the guy a pass. god knows what crap will come out my mouth if i won the derby and they put a mic to my mouth 1 minute later.

[PaceAdvantage]

Why does everyone EXPECT these people to all act the same? Hell, why would they WANT such a thing?

That's why Dutrow was so refreshing during the Big Brown run. Like him or hate him, at least he was different.

[Mineshaft]

He didn't name any names, so I'm not sure how you can accurately make such a statement.




Because he said it on national TV. Everyone heard him say "I changed trainers because i got tired of trainers lying to me". I didnt name any names here but i did name Catalano in another thread.

[Rapid Grey]

Why would the casual fan, especially, think that?

Catalano was the previous trainer and listed in the DRF as such, not sure if the programs list previous trainers as well. After he made the comment that's what I looked at. To the casual fan who else was he referring to?

[Idrivetrotters]

I applaud Barry for his honesty!! I have an idea of who he was talking about but it will be interesting if it's who I think it is *cough Possum Head cough*

I worked for trainers who lied like rugs over horses, keep them day bills coming in! I never lied to my owners, sometimes too brutally honest, but I prefer it to lying.

[Mineshaft]

I applaud Barry for his honesty!! I have an idea of who he was talking about but it will be interesting if it's who I think it is *cough Possum Head cough*

I worked for trainers who lied like rugs over horses, keep them day bills coming in! I never lied to my owners, sometimes too brutally honest, but I prefer it to lying.




do tell

[PaceAdvantage]

do tellOr not.

[Mineshaft]

send me a PM then

[Tom]

Would the casual fan even know who Catalano was?
Never occurred to me, and I am not casual.

[Mineshaft]

Would the casual fan even know who Catalano was?
Never occurred to me, and I am not casual.



No they wouldnt know...

[foregoforever]

Regardless of the reason, he's hooked up now with a very classy, very talented trainer. Graham Motion is top-notch.

[Idrivetrotters]

Well, if I had my money to bet, I'd say he was talking about Todd "Possum Head" Pletcher.

[GameTheory]

Well, if I had my money to bet, I'd say he was talking about Todd "Possum Head" Pletcher.He specifically said "lots" of trainers had lied to him, so it could be both of them and more.

[BIG49010]

Irwin has no class, you just won the Derby, you should thank anybody and everybody who ever took the time to develop your horse.

You don't take shots at Catalano, Pletcher, or who ever he was refering too.

[GameTheory]

Irwin has no class, you just won the Derby, you should thank anybody and everybody who ever took the time to develop your horse.

You don't take shots at Catalano, Pletcher, or who ever he was refering too.Well, he *was* directly asked why he switched trainers. Gotta cut him some slack if he couldn't think of a nice lie to tell on the spot (especially since that is the criticism he is making -- lying). "No comment" would have been just as revealing. And if those trainers did habitually lie to him, why don't they deserve to get called out? Maybe they have no class...

[Rapid Grey]

Well, he *was* directly asked why he switched trainers. Gotta cut him some slack if he couldn't think of a nice lie to tell on the spot (especially since that is the criticism he is making -- lying). "No comment" would have been just as revealing. And if those trainers did habitually lie to him, why don't they deserve to get called out? Maybe they have no class...
Would have thought a simple reference to Motion being one of the best turf trainers in the country and at the time that's what the future of the horse seemed to be would have sufficied

[OFFandRUNNING10]

Team Valor switched their entire stable over to Graham Motion not just Animal Kingdom. He wanted to have more control on a day to day basis as to what was happening with their horses. Having one trainer like Motion accomplishes that for Valor. It was a great move and definitely will pay off well for their entire stable in the long run. Motion is one of the best out there and knows how to race a horse long term unlike Pletcher and some of the other trainers out there. I do not think he was individually attacking animal kingdoms previous trainer. Impossible for you to say that with any certainty to either. Irwin is a very upfront and straight forward person. Was it the best thing to say in the moment...no probably not...who cares... Congrats to TVI!

[point given]

The horse should be a popular stud as a grass, polly, dirt winner.

[OFFandRUNNING10]

The horse should be a popular stud as a grass, polly, dirt winner.

He was a homebred for Valor to I believe.

[andymays]

It sounds to me like Barry just had enough of the auto response stuff from his previous trainers. I'm sure a lot of these guys have certain things they say and do when they're under pressure and I'm sure he's heard it all before.

He trusted his instincts and made all the right calls here. I have a feeling we're gonna hear a lot more from him in the future. I know he has some strong opinions about the game and I hope he makes them more public now that he's in the limelight.

[Dahoss9698]

I thought they called Dallas Stewart possum head, not Pletcher.

[CincyHorseplayer]

Great job! Great race!

Hats off to John Velasquez and Graham Motion as well.

I agree Andy.Big move.They had him on edge and it fit the race.They deserve it:ThmbUp:

[Stillriledup]

Why does everyone EXPECT these people to all act the same? Hell, why would they WANT such a thing?

That's why Dutrow was so refreshing during the Big Brown run. Like him or hate him, at least he was different.

Dutrow was an idiot and a tool during the Big Brown run. Not to mention that he's a convicted cheater, one of the biggest cheaters our game currently knows. I don't find anything refreshing about a guy who's really one of the main reasons this game is on the downslide, its trusting the product and Dutrow is the poster boy for why people don't want to invest their money.

[BIG49010]

Well, he *was* directly asked why he switched trainers. Gotta cut him some slack if he couldn't think of a nice lie to tell on the spot (especially since that is the criticism he is making -- lying). "No comment" would have been just as revealing. And if those trainers did habitually lie to him, why don't they deserve to get called out? Maybe they have no class...

A quick look in my database shows 28 different trainers, a basic who's who of the horse racing world have trained for Team Valor, so it's only a guess on anybody's part who he was talking about, but it also points out Irwin must be a difficult customer to please. The bad part is the horse happened to be with Catalano last fall. and when he should be getting some credit for developing a baby, in someone elses words on here he gets thrown under the bus.

[eastie]

I thought they called Dallas Stewart possum head, not Pletcher.


i thought it was the guy who bet the 100k and won last year. they showed him again yesterday, and apparently he bought a worse possum than he wore last year.....i don't get the toupee guys. Don't they know how obvious they look ? I thought it was gonna get up and run off his head

[Idrivetrotters]

Toddy has a very sharp nose and very tiny eyes, he's been called that in KY for years :)

[DJofSD]

A quick look in my database shows 28 different trainers, a basic who's who of the horse racing world have trained for Team Valor, so it's only a guess on anybody's part who he was talking about, but it also points out Irwin must be a difficult customer to please. The bad part is the horse happened to be with Catalano last fall. and when he should be getting some credit for developing a baby, in someone elses words on here he gets thrown under the bus.
Perhaps Barry's on camera comments were not appreciated by some, however, when compared to the Life At Ten incident 6 months ago with yesterdays, it is a breathe of fresh air.

Barry probably has a better and longer view especially when it comes to blood stock and breeding. I suspect those other trainers did not respect his expertise.

[onefast99]

Because he said it on national TV. Everyone heard him say "I changed trainers because i got tired of trainers lying to me". I didnt name any names here but i did name Catalano in another thread.
There was no need for him to say anything about a previous trainer it had nothing at all to do with the thrill of winning the Derby. Totally classless and uncalled for.

[magwell]

Dutrow was an idiot and a tool during the Big Brown run. Not to mention that he's a convicted cheater, one of the biggest cheaters our game currently knows. I don't find anything refreshing about a guy who's really one of the main reasons this game is on the downslide, its trusting the product and Dutrow is the poster boy for why people don't want to invest their money. Its comments like this is what smells bad, if the truth be told......:rolleyes:

[andymays]

http://www.paulickreport.com/news/triple-crown/motion-gives-thumbs-up-to-preakness-irwin-hedging/

Excerpt:

“I’m pretty sure we’re going to do it, but I want to talk about it,” Irwin said. “I’m a careful guy, so let’s see how he’s doing. I think if you’ve got a horse that’s amazing, you can go for the Preakness. But your regular, average Derby winner has a real tough time coming back.”

The 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes (GI), the third jewel of the Triple Crown, is a strong option regardless of whether the homebred son of Leroidsanimaux (BRZ) runs in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.

“The Belmont is the kind of race that this horse is bred to win, let’s face it,” Irwin said.

[Dark Bay]

Barry Irwin a sore winner and his comment portrayed him as low class individual. You don't have to go to finishing school to know that comment was pure bush. If he wanted to call someone out, then he ought to name names and not throw every trainer that ever trained for him under the bus. Todd Pletcher won a Breeders Cup for him. How much lying did he do to accomplish that?

[sonnyp]

Barry Irwin a sore winner and his comment portrayed him as low class individual. You don't have to go to finishing school to know that comment was pure bush. If he wanted to call someone out, then he ought to name names and not throw every trainer that ever trained for him under the bus. Todd Pletcher won a Breeders Cup for him. How much lying did he do to accomplish that?

How many lies has irwin told along the way ? its a business full of bullshit artists.

[Mineshaft]

How many lies has irwin told along the way ? its a business full of bullshit artists.





Bingo we have a winner.....

[BIG49010]

How many lies has irwin told along the way ? its a business full of bullshit artists.

I have to agree with that, being somehow he bought the horse at the Keeneland sale from himself. It's an interesting business transaction, and I'm sure somebody was on the otherside, but similar to Dogwood the partners are silent.

[andymays]

He or She who pays the bills has the right to make the calls. You can't argue with the result, especially yesterday. He didn't call anyone in particular out by name, and as I said before I think we'll see him going public with a lot more of his informed opinions in the near future.

I'm all for shaking things up. :ThmbUp:

[sonnyp]

He or She who pays the bills has the right to make the calls. You can't argue with the result, especially yesterday. He didn't call anyone in particular out by name, and as I said before I think we'll see him going public with a lot more of his informed opinions in the near future.

I'm all for shaking things up. :ThmbUp:


as a "syndicate manager" (other people's money) he better make sure he had ridden himself of all skeletons before rattling too many cages.

by nature, syndicate managers are a suspicious lot.

[Stillriledup]

Its comments like this is what smells bad, if the truth be told......:rolleyes:

Um, no. Bzzzz.. Try again.

[pandy]

I don't see how anyone can complain about Irwin's comment about trainer's lying to him. It was an off the cuff statement and it was damn good TV. We need more stuff like that. I hate it when trainers, jockeys, owners, etc. are interviewed and they repeat the same old cliches. "My horse raced good today." No shit, you just won the race, tell me something I don't know.

Guys like Baffert and Dutrow and now Irwin who say what's on their mind are good interviews and make the sport more interesting.

Characters make good press and they help the sport. Anyone who's ever given a TV or Radio interview knows how hard it is when you get cliched answers, and how much fun it is when someone says something like Irwin did.

[PaceAdvantage]

Toddy has a very sharp nose and very tiny eyes, he's been called that in KY for years :)What? You couldn't be more wrong. It's Dallas Stewart who that name refers to.

Todd Pletcher has a very sharp nose???? I don't think so... :lol:

http://blog.kentucky-derby.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/todd-pletcher.jpg

Now, on the other hand:

http://www.breederscup.com/images/bio_DallasStewart.jpg

[overthehill]

I dont know Irwin personally, but the guy is old enough to know better. Why throw out some unneccessary negative comment about racing when you are in the spotlight on racing's most public day of the year. Not to mention that since he didnt single out a specific trainer he has pretty much cast aspersions on anyone who ever trained for him. There were at least 20 more appropriate responses he could have made. I ve worked with people like him and I never liked it because I never knew what they were saying about me behind my back. For sure one guy I worked for, who I knew was despicable tried to discourage someone from hiring me internally.

[Valuist]

Funny line on Indian Charlie from last week, obviously before Irwin made his comments.

A local bar owner asked Barry Irwin to leave his bar. Why? Because they wanted to start Happy Hour.

[sonnyp]

Funny line on Indian Charlie from last week, obviously before Irwin made his comments.

A local bar owner asked Barry Irwin to leave his bar. Why? Because they wanted to start Happy Hour.

exactly, whine, complain...whine,complain

[Grits]

http://www.drf.com/news/irwin-wins-kentucky-derby-maverick-way

[Mr_Ed]

Barry posts on here so interesting to see why he threw some trainers under the bus on national TV.

Yeah, I just saw his name on the PA roster.

Like to see him at this thread, but I'm sure he's very busy now.