"You all just don't get the point, do you?"

[Blenheim]

From the “What a wild end to this year's Derby season" thread.

~

You all just don't get the point, do you? Well, then, let this old-timer spell it out for you: racing is changing. It HAS to change.

Where have all of you been the past 6 months? Have all of you seen what happened at Santa Anita? Did you even look at what was going around on social media, and in national news all over this country after the Santa Anita incidents? The Guardian. Vogue. Places that NEVER ONCE talked about horse racing are jabbering about shutting it down.

What about what has been going on these forums about racing changes? Safer racing? Safer tracks? Suddenly, jockeys are being pulled off their mounts and given 30 days for infractions that have been allowed to go on for 50 plus years. Trainers are being held responsible for things that commissioners used to look the other way about. Little tracks that no one even cared about are now on national news.

Have you even been paying attention?

This country's racing business is under a fine microscope. And I'm talking a VERY fine microscope. Either racing changes and makes it safer for the horses and the riders, or racing is sunk for good.

Did you even watch the entire Kentucky Derby air time? Because if you did, you'd notice that Santa Anita must have been brought up about 20 times. Announcers all over the place we're talking about how racing needs to change, especially in this current heated environment. And, if you don't think that includes the stewards, then you've got another think coming.

Churchill made changes across-the-board before the Kentucky Derby to ensure that horses and riders had a safer time on the track. They talked about how they were going to have a chaser. They set up a clean med-tent, the first med tent of its kind in racing, for a seriously afflicted horse. They had EMT's all over the place waiting for falls so that they could rush in and help the jockeys. And the Barb, the steward herself, came out of her box, went into the jockey room, and announced to the entire NATION that she had better see a clean race, or there would be consequences. Right on air-time for the nation to hear.

She knew the consequences of what she had just said, more than any of us here. And she knew that if she did not follow through with that threat, not only was her job probably done, but racing itself would get a knock-out punch.

Then something happens. And yeah, it's happened in the past and nothing was done. That's true. But this is a new era in racing. This is 2019 where horses died on a Santa Anita racetrack and news rooms across the world talked about it for nearly 3 months. This is an era in US racing where things have to change or we let things slowly die. And all of us that are in the racing business know it. I may be old, but I understand things have to change. I'm not too stupid to NOT understand that, and I don't have my tunnel-vision or blind-spot glasses on, even on Derby Day.

I would like to think she made that call for Battle of Midway. For Shared Belief. For Barbaro. For all those other horses at Santa Anita (alas, I don't know their names) that died for change. What was that horse's name? I may get it wrong here and I apologize. Light the Way? Well people, let that little filly light the way here.

So, that steward made a hard call, a controversial call, a call that might cost her her job (NOT just her, I realize that, but SHE was the one on t.v.), but at the time I think she was caring more about racing as a whole, than she was about that. And here all of us are, complaining about it, when not more than 2 weeks go all of us on this forum were complaining that racing wasn't gonna change. Well folks, here's the change for all of you to see, and now you want to complain?

P.S. And, JUST IN CASE some imbecile here wants to tell me Shared Belief and Barbaro didn't die at SA....I KNOW ALREADY. It's the PUBLIC EYE that's the mouth you gotta worry about!!!

[PaceAdvantage]

Truth be told, I doubt one article would be written, or one video piece produced for TV, that would harp on the fact the stewards failed to act on the Kentucky Derby objection (had they actually not changed the order of finish), and that by doing so, they are putting future horse and jockey lives in danger.

It doesn't work like that. The general population, for the most part, doesn't care enough to pay attention THAT hard. At the same time, it wouldn't be juicy enough for the media (meaning, NOBODY DIED) to waste money and time talking about it...

A non-DQ in the 2019 Derby would have been a non-story IMO. Forgotten just as quickly as it began.

[AMPHAR]

If the objection would not have been submitted or denied by Stewards. I think you would have good discussion on this board about the incident because there is a quality bunch of horse fans on here.

I think nationally it receives a tiny fraction of the coverage. Because it keeps the favorite up and cashes more volume of tickets and causes less outrage on social media which can dictate what gets focused on.

[MadVindication]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

A non-DQ in the 2019 Derby would have been a non-story IMO. Forgotten just as quickly as it began.

I think so too. The public perception of whether horse racing is cruel or too dangerous isn't necessarily stopped by a DQ in an incident. It rather calls attention to the issue, however people see it (whether the DQ is right or wrong)

The sport is risky. Yes there should be as much done to make it safe as possible for riders and horses but if people think it's cruel nothing will really change their perceptions. There are fans, the indifferent, and those who think it's a cruel and unsafe sport.

If change comes from this DQ I hope it is something reasonable and not an insane amount of inspection. Sure riders take risks but I find it hard to believe they're simply shrugging off the possibility of paralysis or death.

[Suff]

I wanted to post this somewhere because its a double-take. Did the man just say that in the last 10 years wagering in Michigan fell 99%? 99%.

MM3rdQB: Kentucky Derby drama reminds us that Michigan's horse racing industry is nearly dead

The state once had eight tracks, and now it's down to one (see list below).

In Michigan, betting on live races at in-state tracks has fallen 99 percent over the past decade. State records show that bettors wagered $203 million on live racing at five Michigan tracks in 2009. Last year, it was $2.2 million at the state's one remaining track, Northville Downs

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices...ndustry-nearly

[milfores]

I gotta say I agree with Blenheim. When you've got talking heads on live tv discussing "whether a whip hurts or not" - while holding one - you've got change a comin' down the track. It's part of the times we're living in now - for better or worse.
I want to see racing as safe as possible for rider and horse, but I sure as heck don't wanna see it die a pc strangled death of misinformation, ignorance and media hysteria whipping up public sentiment. Too many instances of witch hunt hysteria going on in the last years to count.
Can't remember which station it was but when the wide turn happened one announcer actually halted and sucked his breath in a bit - he knew what he had just witnessed. I've watched the entire race frame by frame from various angles. That a horse didn't go down is a miracle. 1 was literally placing his feet inbetween 7's hind legs for a few frames. As a horse racing fan, I think we collectively actually dodged a bullet - DQ or no DQ . Had anyone gone down we'd likely be far more concerned about the future of ANY horse racing period.

[Suff]

Originally Posted by milfores

As a horse racing fan, I think we collectively actually dodged a bullet

It was setting up to be a heck of a stretch run. When I see the replays, I see 6-8 horses affected. A couple of runners fell through the field, watch Bodexpress. That is not fatigue.

[rabrown36]

Horse racing is not a sport. It is a Gambling game. Some people like to gamble and some don't. The people who don't there is nothing a horse track can do to get these people to come. The people who do gamble have many options today. Lottery, Casinos, Daily Fantasy sports, Poker, etc.. Basically what I am saying is Horse racing is as big as it can get and in time will only get smaller, because the new generation enjoys Gambling their money in other ways. It has nothing to do with safety, animal rights or anything like that.

When Horse racing throws on an event like the Kentucky Derby, that is when you get the non-horse player to come to the track for the Event, The atmosphere, it has nothing to do with the horses, the gambling aspect of it.

That is one of my biggest problems these tracks seem to not care enough about the everyday player, the ones that keep this "sport" afloat.

[milfores]

Originally Posted by rabrown36

Horse racing is not a sport.

Complex subject. Horse and humans have had a relationship that has shaped each other over time like no other. Food source, Trade, wars, conquests, travel, agriculture -horses have been central to man's progress on earth. It's an incredible journey. Civilization developed along with the horse.
Our daily lives and survival were tied closely together with horses until only recently with the invention of the automobile and mechanized agriculture.
Tribal nomads and nobility have been racing horses since 4, 500 b.c. Ancient Greece had horse racing as far back as 700 b.c. - bareback racing, chariot team racing in the Olympics, and the Roman Empire all had organized horse racing. Horsemanship has been around forever. I'm positive even Paleolithic men were throwing down slabs of choice meat wagering against each other over horses in some form lol.
Horse racing absolutely is a sport imo. heck, wild horses race against each other not only for the sheer joy of it but in keeping a pecking order and driving out male rivals. They were made to run and built for speed. Just how it is. If you love horses, sure, you just might gamble on them, that's human nature; just as it is "horse nature" to see who's got the most stamina and ability to challenge and rule, keeping the mares for their own harem.
I suppose the sport will be pussified down or banned outright in the future - cuz all that "scary toxic masculinity".

[rabrown36]

What I am saying is without gambling horse racing does not exist in this world. It's a gambling game. How many people would go to the track to watch horses run if you could not bet? Lots of things are this way. Would people play poker if it was for nothing? Would people sit there and pull the slot machines if they had no chance to win?

[burnsy]

Your entire assumption is BS. Trying to make the Steward some kind of hero. You are out of touch with reality. Just like thinking the game will re gain popularity after the take down. This is disaster and the fact is, try sticking to the facts before writing a diatribe of crap. THE STEWARDS NEVER PUT THE LIGHT ON, THEY WERE GOING TO AWARD THE WIN AND MOVE ON IF THERE WERE NO CLAIMS. That's the fact, even the jockeys and Jerry Bailey pointed that out. There was not a Stewards posted, there were two claims of foul. Trying to make the Steward sound like some kind of hero is dumb. She was not going to do anything. People live in Smurf Land this is not how it went down.

This is way bigger now than if they had said nothing. The facts are, not one rider or horse was hurt. The other fact is there can be an accident on any given race. It was close but there wasn't . Total speculation and non truth.

[five-eighths]

Originally Posted by Suff

I wanted to post this somewhere because its a double-take. Did the man just say that in the last 10 years wagering in Michigan fell 99%? 99%.

MM3rdQB: Kentucky Derby drama reminds us that Michigan's horse racing industry is nearly dead

Down 99% for LIVE wagering I believe it.

My wagering was down 60% from 2017-2018 since they didn’t run at Hazel Park.

Simulcast is still steady in Michigan but they’re not collecting any revenues from any of the online sites because the casinos/politicians keep influencing the passing of the ADW bill that would allow horsemen/tracks to get that revenue.

There is talk about reopening former harness track Sports Creek near Flint for thoroughbreds next year but that is likely dependent on the passing of the ADW bill.

After 2020 could be lights out in Michigan

[delsully]

Originally Posted by Suff

It was setting up to be a heck of a stretch run. When I see the replays, I see 6-8 horses affected. A couple of runners fell through the field, watch Bodexpress. That is not fatigue.

It looks like CH squeezes him out before all the “shenanigans”.

[depalma113]

Originally Posted by rabrown36

What I am saying is without gambling horse racing does not exist in this world. It's a gambling game. How many people would go to the track to watch horses run if you could not bet? Lots of things are this way. Would people play poker if it was for nothing? Would people sit there and pull the slot machines if they had no chance to win?

You do realize they run an entire meet in Dubai and there is no gambling on it in that country.

[depalma113]

Originally Posted by Blenheim

I would like to think she made that call for Battle of Midway. For Shared Belief. For Barbaro. For all those other horses at Santa Anita (alas, I don't know their names) that died for change. What was that horse's name? I may get it wrong here and I apologize. Light the Way? Well people, let that little filly light the way here.

So, that steward made a hard call, a controversial call, a call that might cost her her job (NOT just her, I realize that, but SHE was the one on t.v.), but at the time I think she was caring more about racing as a whole, than she was about that.

Stop with the melodrama. Did you see the stewards inquiry light go up? She didn't want to make any call. She got caught not doing her job.