Stan Bergstein of DRF doesn't like Calvin Borel
 

This is a DRF Plus article but I'm posting it anyway. If I get in trouble with DRF I'll become a Brisnet guy.

Cheering this Derby win too much of a stretch
By Stan Bergstein

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=112681

TUCSON, Ariz. - Hi, it's the old tree-hugger checking in.

I dislike interrupting parades or anointments or deifications, and I am particularly averse to disturbing the canonization of saints. So as hesitant as I am about stepping in where angels fear to tread, I regretfully cannot join the millions celebrating the elevation of Calvin Borel to sanctity, and must cast a lone vote of disapproval of his use of the whip with Super Saver.

I was not one of the announced crowd of 155,804 enraptured by the wild cavorting of Borel as he raised his arms and thumped his chest and slapped hands with every groom and outrider in sight, in ecstasy over his third Derby win in four years.

I understand all of that overwhelming happiness, but I was not one of the millions who joined in the joyful celebration of his rail-riding skills. The punishment he administered to his mount in the last eighth of a mile dulled my enjoyment of all that. I had cleaned the screen on my home TV to make sure I had a clear picture, and I counted eight hard blows in the final eighth and at least 14 from the head of the stretch to the wire. I may have missed a few before Borel and Super Saver cleared the pack, but he worked the colt over pretty good.

Who is this clown?

Stan has lost his marbles...

wow, but i have to say I thought he hit Rachel too much in the Woodward.

Chuck, I know this conversation has been brought up here before, but doesn't Borel use a crop? If so, I've seen them up close and there's no way they could administer a "beating" to a horse.

NT

perhaps you had a bet on Macho again?

The whips that they are using are padded. 100 swats with the new whip doesnt equal 2 with the old. But why would anyone care about the facts?

Buzzz. I had no bets in the race. And I was rooting for Rachel. I have posted numerous times on here about excessive whipping incidents...I did not see closeups for the Derby. This is the first I've heard of it.

What a p.ussy.

The new whips they are using can hardly mark a humans skin. Horses hide is much thicker. Honestly the whole whip controversy is just another sign of the pussification of society.

Ol' Stan oughtta head to a hunter/jumper show sometime and take a look at the spurs riders use to get horses to jump five and six feet fences. It would blow his mind.

Of course you didnt notice it because wasnt isnt an issue. When you are trying to win whipping should hardly be an issue. Where I have an issue with whipping is when horses who are hopelessly beaten are flogged because the rider is pissed at them. But in a sport where billions of dollars are bet on the outcome, the entire theory of whipping too much is foreign to me. As I said the use of the new whips should make any whipping controversy moot.

Yes the new ones don't. Can't say that for the old ones....And I'm not against the whip, I'm against excessive whipping....not saying he did it on Sat as I didn't notice.

agreed


I think he already had the article written he just was waiting to insert name(s) here.

A comparison of old vs new crops: Anatomy of the Whips

The worst post-derby article I've read...

This guy should go back and count how many times all of the past Derby winners have been hit with the whip..

What a joke...

I would have understood if this was written by a woman,but this guy should just stay away from racing.

Yeah. I mean what's next to go: geld 'em as soon as you get 'em? We wouldn't want that. :rolleyes: And, then, maybe they'd want horses trained to run behind/between rather than outside and, heaven forbid, on the rail. Why in the world would we want them saving ground? We need them to be extra tried when we whip the **** out them in the lane.

I mean, these are long time track truisms that need to be held on to.

:rolleyes:

Gelding horses is humane for the horse. Horses arent "trained" to save ground, jockeys are.

One of many signs of this. Just look at the outcry of the philly cops tasing the asswipe that ran oon the field.

Exactly. In the old days they would have tackled him, brought him behind the scenes and billy clubbed him a bit. I'd rather get tased.

I agree. I much prefered the cops on horseback clubbing the rowdies at many Philly events.

most jocks that get "trained" to save ground are 9 times out of 10 gonna get in more trouble than if they lost a little ground and made their move on the outside anyway.

First off He is the longest and biggest booster of horse racing around. He was first introduced to me on the old WWOR the greatest sports network of the 7o's. Except it wasn't a sports network. Besides the Mets they showed Racing from every Nrya Track every saturday and every friday and saturday there was Racing from Yonkers and roosevelt


this was in the days when there was no other broadcast other than the networks of horse racing anywhere, if you when to a nyotb you got a rcorded call of the audio only 10 minutes after the race was offical.

he has called out cheaters and done nothing ever that was not in support of the both halves of the horse racing industry.

now I ask all of you who made not the nicest of comments to reread the article, if you did read the article and think of one thing, how did it look to the once a year viewer and there opinion of the sport.

i myself only watched the race once as it was just another race w/ no money on it and i noticed none of what was mentioned in the article.

but before condemning the man and his opinion google him and read his articles through the HTRA.

it might change a bit of your opinion and your whose this guy attitude

Can you get me an autographed photo or one of his socks?

a man with some common sense..........i'd like to see this guys tickets, he may of had ice box because this sounds like sour grapes. the whips are not like they used to be and it is a horse race for crying out loud. to the people that don't like it...free country ,don't bet or go join PETA.....maybe the horse should ride on the back of the jockey? what society we live in :zz:

he probably doesnt bet

I hear countless track and field athletes talk about holding their 'form' during key points of their events. Hurdlers, for example, tend to break down towards the end of their races, as do sprinters, as their mechanics fall apart. Now, if you ever watch Dominguez ride, he rarely goes to the whip -- in relation to other jocks. Because he usually give good rides, his horses have enough in the stretch to be able to give their all without being abused. Clearly, you've watched enough races to have seen many cases where jocks are hitting a horse and it's drifting in, then drifting out, etc., doing everything BUT running straight, which, after all, is the objective. There's no doubt in my mind that whipping is absolutely excessive presently. More races are lost, IMO, than are won as a result of whipping. Jocks need to help horses retain their 'form' when they're tiring rather than beat them up so that they stagger like drunks, unable to keep straight paths. Any hack can hammer away with the whip; only a few jocks are good enough to help a horse to the wire.

There was a race a few weeks ago where one of the Allens was on the favorite, a speed horse. The horse broke from the outside gate and stumbled a bit while also dunking out at the start. As the poor thing is trying to get it's footing, Allen is beating on it with the whip, as he's expecting early kick. The horse won but that wasn't really the point. Or was it?

Sounds like he is making a play to be on the yearly "Let's discuss everything wrong with racing panel" usually taking place on national TV during the Preakness telecast.

Old treehugger ='s bunnyhugger ='s PETA supporter

The whole whip thing is ridiculous, it's a PR angle, a few or maybe more swats on a horses ass isn't going to hurt the horse. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but the whole whip controversy is for the human viewer not to protect the horse. Chalk up another one for the animal rights advocates.

Stan Bergstein has done 1000x more good for horseracing than bad. He is a respected authority who has more or less done it all. But he is (IMO) way offbase in this piece.

hes mostly a harness guy isnt he, and they whip the crap out of their horses dont they?

most drivers don't hit the horse in harness racing. most hit the shaft of the race bike.

some prefer to kick the horse ;)

I'm glad harness drivers hands are in plain view of the judges. Never have to worry about shocking the horse.