Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Schwartz
Clearly, you are for more expert at watching races for in-race moves (or non-moves) than I am.
As moronic as you may think it is, I simply do not understand why a jockey would offer zero urging to a horse on the lead until he settled into next-to-last and then, suddenly, step on the gas.
Maybe a little bit of that urging on the front end would have given the horse an honest shot, especially since he ran 3rd.
Heck, had he started that urging when he was only 4 lengths back instead of circling the field, the horse might have won by 3.
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I wouldn't have described his trip like that in any way. He tried a little to hold the position and the horse was backing out. It happens. He also hardly "suddenly stepped on the gas" and he definitely didn't "circle the field." Actually, save the situation of position, he gave him an OK ride, saving ground and splitting horses. Frankly, I think the biggest crime in watching that video is cutting to a useless head-on angle mid-race. We will never know what took place during that period.
People tend to exaggerate trips and trouble. This horse isn't fast enough to keep up with the leader. He also might not have loved being inside of horses. Blaming Leon, and claiming he did something "criminal" is ridiculous, and that's being nice. Irad Ortiz might have finished second on him today. I don't see a scenario where he would have won.