He wants the rule to make the bettors happy. My contention is that very few people give a **** if the jock gets fined or suspended, they'd rather have cashed a ticket.

That's true, though I think the bettors on here are more informed so it's a little different.

Those guys don't have time to think.

Makes the WWF seem real

:tro:

Sure, at least you know somebody is paying attention. There are many days I'm sure the stewards slept through a race.

We'd rather they just follow the rules in the first place, but if not, sure, I want to see them punished. Without rules, there is chaos.

They usually read golfing magazines

Where did you get that quote? Joe Stalin?

Kosmo Kramer.

i thought it was from blazing saddles, the nietchze line...

well, it's not verbatim.

On Derbytrail Steve allows some literary license

I saw TAP interviewed before the race and he specifically said Havana didn't like the whip when asked if he had any special instructions for new rider Stevens.

not that I know of

It would be really, really hard to enforce that. What's to stop the jockey from just saying he or she thought the horse was starting to lug in on another horse, or some other issue of safe riding? The stewards are supposed to fine a jockey for using a legitimate piece of equipment because he or she believed the horse's or another horse's safety depended on it?

I can't see how knowing a jockey is supposed to whip or not whip a horse is going to successfully influence a wagering strategy- some horses are encouraged by a whip, some are discouraged and some couldn't give a f*ck either way. You just have to assume the trainer knows the horse well enough to know how the horse responds to the stick, and that the trainer and the jockey both want to win the race, so they're going to do what gives them the best chance, and what's best may change during the race, depending on how it unfolds.

Good luck with the MRI today; hope it all goes smoothly for you!

It was mentioned on track feed. Pletcher said he was a tricky ride and they told Stevens he doesn't like whip.

Reneesgotzip and Tightend Touchdown were impressive in losing the Turf Sprint; they made Mizdirection work for her win.

Touchdown was especially impressive to me because (1) he was the only non-CA-based horse to figure in the superfecta (Mizdirection, Tightend Touchdown, Reneesgotzip, Unbridled's Note), (2) he was the only horse in the superfecta that had never raced previously on SA's tricky downhill course, (3) he was the only horse in the superfecta to rise from the claiming ranks to make his first Grade 1 start, and (4) instead of leading at every call as he likes to do, he laid off Reneesgotzip, proving that he can rate a little. In other words, he put in a terrific performance despite his preferred running style and despite a lack of track and class experience.

The Turf Sprint is a race that, since its inception in 2008, when run at Santa Anita, has gone to a CA-based horse: Desert Code (2008), California Flag (2009); Mizdirection (2012); and Mizdirection (2013). That downhill course takes some learning. So Touchdown was running against the small but statistically significant data we have about the outcome of the race.

Don't know how TT was sent off, after a morning line of 12-1, at overlay odds of 18-1; this 4yo gelding runs and ships consistently well. He has not missed the trifecta in his last eleven starts at six tracks: Aqueduct, Belmont, Parx, Penn, Saratoga, and Santa Anita.

At any rate, kudos to Jason Servis for a top notch training job. My hat's off to you, sir.

Most Impressive in Defeat?
 

I don't know about most impressive, but for least impressive, I nominate Ken Ramsey.