Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Zookeeper — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:09:30 GMT

Dr Drunkinbum,

Extremely well said!!! For those of us (and there are MANY) who love That Bird, it has been very sad to see him stuggle the way he has in his two races, this year.

I hope someone finds the key to the Mine (pun intended) because he is so much better than what we're seeing right now!

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Dr Drunkinbum — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:04:07 GMT

Steve

Thank you very much. I am honored by your response.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Dr Drunkinbum — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:01:35 GMT

Gary at Rough Creek

Great post-12AUG, 11:41am. The Chip Woolley and Mine That Bird Derby win was one of the greatest stories in the history of the world. Chip did a tremendous job getting MTB to The Derby in peak condition and ready to run. What he did with a broken leg, on crutches is amazing. He vanned him a long way, doing the driving by himself with that broken leg. He would have ridden him there himself if he had to, and MTB, though a little more tired still would have won. He destroyed that field, then came close in The Preakness and Belmont. It was a shock and disturbing to me when MTB was taken away from Chip. I expected great things from them this year. I did not want the Chip and MTB story to end. If I could I'd buy the horse and send him back to Chip. If I had two year old Derby prospects I'd send them to Chip. Depending on how many I had I'd also give a few to Baffert. If I had ten I'd probably give five to each. MTB looks good, and he looks happy so I'm not going to complain about the care he's getting, because it appears to be very good but he was misplaced in both of his races so far. I'm still hoping for success this year. To call MTB a fluke is fighting words, and stupid. When I saw MTB pre-race at The Derby, I think it was on the way to the paddock, I said, "Wow, is he ready to run !!!." I don't think I'll ever forget that short glimpse I saw of him. I don't remember seeing a horse look so good before The Derby. I hope the entire story is told someday. I want to know why this perfect match of man and horse was broken up. MTB would of had a chance to win The Belmont if given the same type of ride Summer Bird got, and he almost got to Rachel in The Preakness. I'd like to know how many horses, other than Triple Crown winners that had better Triple Crowns. We should start a syndicate for the sole purpose of buying MTB and sending him back to Chip. I'm not saying that Lukas can't win with him, but it won't be the same story, and he needs to be in the right races. At this point though I still would send him to The Jockey Club simply because itt's a mile and a quarter, which is what he needs.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Steve Haskin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:02:58 GMT

Dr. D, thank you very much. your beautiful words are greatly appreciated.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Saratoga AJ — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:01:17 GMT

LAZMANNICK:

True, and then all MTB needs is a muddy track November 6th!

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Gary at Rough Creek — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:41:39 GMT

Cris,

Have no fear. You are 100% correct regarding MTB, last year and this year.

I've been a big fan of the Birdstones since before last year's KY Derby. I've never appreciated those who called MTB a fluke. For one, his was a great story last year, and we've never experienced more interest in horse racing from the general populace than after MTB won the KY Derby. But for whatever reasons several squeaky wheels never embraced MTB. Then JJ bought Rachel, and we all know what happened after that.

Chip was, and is, a great ambassador for the sport, as well as a good horseman. I say this from first-hand, personal experience. To those that cast aspersions upon either the horse or the man, whether they be open and flagrant or veiled and subtle, all I can say is...you are shooting the sport in the foot. Give successful people and successful horses credit, be they royally bred animals, not so royally bred animals or trainers with smaller barns. That grace and positive acceptance will bring more fans than cynicism and defensive, hyper-critical labels...like "fluke" and "one hit wonder." For one, how can a multiple graded stakes winner, 2 YO Canadian Champion, and KT Derby winner be a "one hit wonder"? That doesn't even make sense.

Studies I've seen suggest that 75% of the success of the horse is NOT its breeding, but its trainer. After the KY Derby last year, I distinctly remember Chip giving credit to MTB's former trainer during a press conference. That's grace. Chip took over the training responsibilities for MTB and gave the horse and his connections the ride of a lifetime.

Any fan of MTB, and I am one, wants to see him repeatedly be a non-factor in his races. That's what we've seen so far this year. It's a shame, and I hope it can be rectified.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

And Down The Stretch the Come — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:53:42 GMT

Interesting:

"I hadn't looked at Zenyatta's Classic chart in a while but I was curious as to the internal fractions that she ran that day as compared to some of her more recent races. As usual, it's hard not to come away extremely impressed.

Zenyatta broke poorly from the gate in the Classic and ran the slowest initial quarter mile of the field at 26.74 seconds...even slower than Mine That Bird. Following the first quarter mile, Zenyatta ran the fastest 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th quarters of any horse in the field and in doing so ran the final mile of the 2009 Classic in 1:33.87. For comparative purposes, the one mile record on the Santa Anita main track since the conversion to synthetic is 1:33.37 by El Gato Malo in 2008. On the old dirt course, the one mile track record was 1:33 and 2/5th by Ruhlmann in 1989. Zenyatta's "final mile" in the Breeders Cup Classic was only a few tenths slower than the one mile track record at Santa Anita."

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Slew — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:14:18 GMT

Markinsac: That's odd...I haven't read any hateful comments here about the mighty Zen. Yes, a lot of us want to see her come East...not because she has anything to prove...but because this will be her last year racing, and we are in awe of her, and want to see her first hand. Not everyone has the finances or opportunity to fly to California any time she runs, especially when you run into the Del Mar situation where nothing was positively set until she actually stepped out onto the track. Would we love to see her at Saratoga? You betcha! But Shirreffs has only one barn; it's in California. He doesn't have a barn at every track, with assistants all over the country. Traveling several months with Zen means he would not be able to work with his other contenders. We realize that, but it doesn't stop us from longing to see her, up close and personal. What is wrong with that? We love her too.

Someone earlier mentioned RA quit running during her earlier races. I've never seen that filly quit; she may not have last year's kick to her speed, but she's never given us less than everything she has...so I felt it was an unfair comment.

MTB...give him time. He has heart. I haven't counted him out yet. I'm sorry Chip lost him, as I feel bad about Tim Ice losing Summer Bird. But the owners are the ones who pay the bills; it's their decision. And maybe some of us don't like it, but we haven't paid any of their bills, so our opinion remains that..opinion.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

trackjack — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:49:42 GMT

Chris:

Great story about your lunchtime.

The day my wife and I were at Claiborne, the staff member warned me not to get close to the fence with Big Red. He did not like other males and would probably bite me if I got too close. However, he was enamored with my wife (as I was) as he came over and allowed her to pet him and gave me a few poses for pictures with his head next to her shoulder. By the way, the "Secretariat" movie is due for release on October 8.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

markinsac — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:16:45 GMT

To all you Z haters, your arguments are so petty. If you didn't see Z in person, blame yourself. If I wanted to see Personal Ensign or Ruffian, I would have had to fly 3,000 miles accross country. I didn't and I have no criticism of those two great mares. There seems to be animosity because Z has raced only in calif and ark. Z's owner is part of the calif racing board. It's fitting he should help the sport, and Californians bet lots of money into pools accross the country. If Calif horse racing dies, it hurts everybody. You got 2 chances left. The Zenyatta Stakes at oak tree and the BC. An invitation to all haters: Come out to Oak Tree and see for yourself what the fuss is about. It's not just the streak or winning, it's also about Zenyatta's class and the love of her from her many, many fans. Most of you won't and are now plotting your next attack angle. Sad.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

LAZMANNICK — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:50:05 GMT

trackjack

Great post. What an experience.

Saratoga JJ

You're ding-dang right. Horses for courses. Maybe MTB will pick up on that.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Cris — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:09:42 GMT

Hey Guys! I really was not attempting to start a war about MTB

I followed him from Pimlico to WV and if you all will remember he lost in WV due to a breathing problem that he had to have surgery for plus he gave eleven pounds. I think he was pretty well handled last year and from the lines of folks that waited to speak to Chip or have him sign their program, many people would say the same thing. He should have never run on the Santa Anita surface since he already proved he was not good on it, but that was not Chip's call. I like the horse and want the best for him. There is no way anyone can tell me the best is what he is getting now.

To the guy who saw Riva Ridge and Big Red, I used to go over to his paddock and eat my lunch in hopes he would walk close enough that I could pet him. I always brought an apple, but although he would prance by or walk over while eating grass I was never able to pet him. I always left that apple for him tho, and he would eat it as soon as I walked away. It was ok, he was so pretty I just enjoyed looking at him. Now that so many years have passed it nice to know at least I had lunch with him.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

thirteen — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:04:00 GMT

what you think about sword dancer G1 and who do you like

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Dr Drunkinbum — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:01:55 GMT

Steve

You have been a hero and a mentor many times to many people, you just didn't know it. I'm happy that you feel honored. As you well know, many of our heroes, and true class acts are gone, so the ones that are left are very much appreciated. This blog has been a precious connection to a different era for me, and there are many class acts that blog on it, and that is also a tribute to you. I'm looking forward to your Derby Dozen blog more than ever this year. I'm anxious for it to begin. In the meantime I've been enjoying the numerous great articles you've written this year. It seems to me that you are at the top of your game especially when you weave personal experiences and the love between man and horse. The horses are heroes of epic proportion in this game, and the jockeys are very courageous men and women. Neither are machines as we sometimes forget as we crunch numbers and count our money or say good-bye to it. They go about their jobs often in physical and mental pain, so your writings that bring tears from joy and sadness are important in helping us to understand racing from a viewpoint of the reality of what living creatures go through in their love of the sport. I'm one that believes that many of the horses that run, also love their sport, as do the jockeys, trainers, owners, fans, writers and everyone else associated with it, and we have to love it to be a part of it because sometimes the emotions we go through are brutal, especially when we lose one of our biggest heroes, a thoroughbred that we love and admire.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Dr Drunkinbum — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:50:40 GMT

trackjack and hank

That's good stuff. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Steve Haskin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:43:20 GMT

Hank, it's called class. We don't see that much of it anymore.

Dr. D., I've never been a hero or a mentor before. I'm honored.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Dr Drunkinbum — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:01:03 GMT

I think I'm in the mood for a Bogie movie, popcorn, licorice, Bob Bons, the works. Now there's a hero for you. Maybe The Big Sleep.

Zookeeper

Yes, we do get along great. Even The Professor probably learns a thing or two from his students occasionally but I've never seen a writer with a better understanding and knowledge of racing. We're all mentors and students, at least of the ones that are allowed in the classroom. If you have no class then you might have to wait outside in the rain until you show some class.

Smoking Baby

Thanks. I'm looking forward to your racing observations. I will be looking for your comments. I'm sorry to say that I don't remember reading any before.

Steve Haskin

Clyde Calhoun was the character's name in the spoof of the Bogie movie The Desperate Hours on The Dobie Gillis Show. He played the character that Bogie played in the movie. He was holding them hostage in the store, waiting for Big Louie to pick up him and his girlfriend. The Gillis family was finally able to get the gun away from him and hold him for the police despite the insane antics of Maynard.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Zookeeper — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:23:49 GMT

hank,

Great story! Loved to read it. The legends of this sport are surprisingly approachable and gracious when sharing their treasures with lay-folks like us.

Your experience at Claiborne was a very good example of this. Thank you for telling us about it... and yes! Go Blame!!! :)

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

TerriV — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:52:57 GMT

I didn't take the time to read all these posts. It was so sad to hear about Tuscan Evening but the follow on news of Odysseus has just been crushing. He was one of my top early favorites - I loved his races this spring. God! it just breaks your heart to pieces every time.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Zookeeper — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:20:45 GMT

Dr Drunkinbum,

I was proud to see my name next to yours in Smoking Baby's comment. We do get along pretty good, don't we? However, as far as being a mentor, I beg to differ. Let's just call ourselves fellow students of the great and only Professor Haskin. :)

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Gary at Rough Creek — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:12:08 GMT

Kat San,

I objected to your comment for two reasons: 1) the not-so-subtle slam of Chip W. and the horses in his barn; and 2) your faulty logic.

I wasn't bashing Kat. I objected to the insinuation that since she/he knows him, she/he knows MTB's 2009 training regimen, fitness level, insights into the horse, etc. Chip does.

You know Chip, and apparently are in New Mexico, ergo you too know how he was training MTB all of last year!? You travelled here to Churchill Down's too, and knew the horse intimately did ya?

You can't deny results. I believe MTB was an Eclipse Award finalist last year correct?

So I'll ask again, just when did MTB's deep closing style fail to work? When HOTY Rachel Alexandra barely beat him while in receipt of 5 pounds? In the Belmont, when a premature move saw him come third to the eventual 3 YO Champion? In West Virginia, when an admittedly poor ride saw him lose less than two lengths to two horses who were getting 11 pounds?

In California, where he hated the track? When?

I just want to know your reasoning, if it exists.

I've been around horses quite awhile now. I think I know when a horse has too much condition to run his best. That's my opinion. Now look at the numbers. Look at the final time for MTB in The Whitney, compare that to his times last year, and you tell me. Is he stronger? Fitter? If you honestly believe so, then when does that translate into him running faster?

Regarding the horses in Chip's barn, I got your slam. Thanks for that! But neither you, nor Chip, nor I, nor anyone else knows just how good OUR current horses will turn out to be. Nor do you know the quality of the ones in the pipeline that are going to him. But please, do sit back and watch. By the way, just out of curiosity...how many people around you have trained a KY Derby winner? If you are a trainer, how many multiple graded stakes winners are in your barn?

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

One last thing. Lucas has obviously had considerable success in the past. What was his win percentage last year? I truly, sincerely hope he can do better with MTB in the future than he has to date.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

BigWill — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:11:01 GMT

Just a point of note...The Forelock braid is a trademark used by all Pletcher runners during raceday. Came from the Lukas barn...just like the white bridles. Never bothered Quality Road before. Blame just ran a better race that day.

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

hank — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:10:20 GMT

IN 1959 I was stationed at Ft Campell, Ky 101st airborne, One weekend I got three day pass and put on my Kakis and hitch hiked up to Paris Ky, got a ridealmost all the way. The main farm I wanted to visist was Claiborne because my favorite horse Bold Ruler was standing stud there. When I arrived at the gate in a taxi, Mr Bull Hancock happened to be there at the same time . it was 9 oclockin the morning, I recognized him and went up and said hello and asked if I could visit the farm, he personally took me to the stallion barn and dropped me of there I spent the next 6 hrs with the groom and got a grand tour of all the studs and farm and when I was done Mr Hancock gave me his autograph and all one great experience, I root for all of claiborne farm horses, I was surprised he took that time with a little skinny soldier who he didn't know from adam. GO Blame

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

My Juliet — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:06:36 GMT

Saratoga A.J., re your comment yesterday, @ the times of the races from that day, it was definitely on my mind when I heard who won The Whitney...I rem reading comments that the track might have changed that afternoon in the time bet the races, leading to the time difference. No denying how impressive it was, with Rachel carrying more weight, and winning by hand-ride cruise- control...trying to contain excitement until after the P.E... :)

re: Countdown to the Cup: And Then Came Blame

Smoking Baby — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:18:19 GMT

Dr. Drunkinbum...

." If you refuse to shake hands afterwards or if you fought dirty, then you'll have someone much bigger and tougher to deal with.

Well said bro...Well said.