Gary Stevens Breaks Collarbone and Pletcher Fined $200
 

How did All you guys that are actually at Saratoga Miss this. I read this in the NY Post this AM.



SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Retired Hall-of-Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who was planning to un-retire for a few minutes next Friday to ride in the "Young Guns vs. Cagey Veterans" race at Arlington Park, suffered an apparent broken collarbone in a freak accident yesterday morning on the main track here. Stevens was working WinStar Farm's Thatcatismine, a 2-year-old by Horse of the Year Mineshaft out of multiple stakes winner Catinca, when the colt collapsed and died, right in front of the breakfast crowd on the clubhouse porch. An autopsy is pending.

Thatcatismine's trainer, Todd Pletcher, was fined $200 "for employing an unlicensed employee." (Stevens is now a TV commentator and actor.)

200? How do they come up with these numbers?

That was the horse who they bet to favortisim. He pitched Velazquez at the start when he jumped up and absolutely smashed the top of his skull on the top of the starting gate.

I'm surprised they actually had that horse on the track and working out less than a week after he cracked his skull. I suppose the cut must not have been much and somehow he didn't have a concussion.

Why can't Todd be named Doug as well? It would be great! A Drug Pletcher thread! ROTFLMMFAO!!!!!!

My speeding ticket was almost as much as Pletcher's fine. :rolleyes:

Hope people enjoyed their eggs at the track.

Please, we all know Pletcher is hay, oats, and water.

I'm not sure if you can or should compare a human athlete with an equine one.

But take Jahvid Best - the best running back in the Pac 10 last year. He gets a concussion and they don't even let him practice .. let alone play or even suit up for a single game for the final 8 weeks of the season.

As hard as this horse (he's the 1A) hit the top of his head on the gate less than a week prior to his workout - I'm pretty surprised he didn't get a concussion.

ha ha ha haha

Oh ****. I just got back from some pain in the ass work and I really needed the laugh. Thanks.

How much should he have been fined? It is hardly a big offense especially considering the person in question has probably held hundreds of licenses in the past.

A grand min.

I'm going to use this excuse!

But Officer, I've gone 65 mph hundereds of times in the past. :o <--- green puppy dog eyes

Double that to $400 for also employing Angel Cordero.

That's why they fined him!

Had it been Scav on the horse instead of a hall of fame jockey, the fine would probably be much higher and you would have no need at all for an autopsy.

LOL

You do realize that Pletcher doesn't actually employ Stevens right?

Uh you broke the law. Pletcher was just trying to help a friend get fit to ride in a stupid race.

Pretty good walk from Pletchers barn to main track. Had it been Scavs I don't think the horse would have made it that far.

So? Rules are rules.

Uh Pletcher broke a rule.

The rule is there to prevent people who arent qualified to get a license to work. It is a state rule and as such has to have a reasonable fine. For a clerical matter $200 is actually a big fine. People who smoke in the shedrow get $100 and that is a whole lot worse than Gary Stevens not getting an exercise license to work a horse.

"We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the tote handle that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way."

Seriously how petty can you guys get? He doesn't actually employ Stevens! And he was fined for the incident. Do you think he is the only trainer fined for this particular offense? The fine is a standard amount. Should he pay a higher fine than another trainer because he wins more races? I don't understand how any logical person could have an issue with this fine.

Means testing. For him, a few grand. Put it towards VLTs

OK here's the last part of the article i left out, But I quess I should have included it:D


"The standard fine for an unlicensed exercise rider is $100, but the stewards doubled the fine because they felt that a trainer of Pletcher's experience should have known better," Joe Mahoney of the NY State Racing and Wagering Board said. "The board will review the entire incident and is keeping its options open."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/horse...#ixzz0wnQRGOAw

Because you dont like him? Or because Gary Stevens is going to miss the exciting "legends" challenge and you like his mount?

both. Up to 4 grand now.

Honestly, I have no issues with the amount of the fine, I just giggled that you of all people thought someone shouldn't be held to the same standard because of who they are.

LOL he got double the normal amount but it still isnt enough for the rule of law crowd!

If Gary Stevens came to my barn in the same situation I would have to say that I would probably not think to ask to see his license. Stevens is an employee in the loosest definition. The rule is in place so that people dont hire undocumented workers or people with criminal pasts, not to prevent Hall of fame jockeys from getting their legs underneath them. The fact that they are going to spend more time on the "investigation" tells you all you need to know anout the NYS racing board and the joke that it is. I guess they still havent concluded the Chad Brown thermometer incident so the Pletcher case gets pushed back.

Did you see his acting in Seabiscuit? Criminal indeed.

^^^^Officer was surprised to see Uncly in passenger seat...didn't know anyone was in passenger seat.

If the Seabiscuit story took place now the horse would have been transferred to Pletcher and he would have run 5 times a year and the match race against War Admiral would have never taken place because WA couldn't have crossed the Potomac river because it was considered quite taxing and he would have run in a 4 horse allowance race at havre de grace instead.

I guess Angel Cordero must have a license, given the number of times he works Pletcher's horses.

Not on topic completely, but I thought Stevens did just fine in Seabiscuit, as did McCarron.

McCarron had no words so it wasn't hard not to do fine....Stevens was ok. I was joking.

DRF: I have to wonder if Pletcher actually employed Gary Stevens, or if they were exchanging favors -- Pletcher gets his horses worked, and Stevens gets saddle time. Also, I've noticed that Gary Stevens gets little respect from some here, and wonder why?

Anyway, the bigger story here to me is the loss of Thatcatismine. Only 2 years old.

Odds are that Stevens was NOT being paid, but "using" unlisenced help is against the rules. If you are not licensed in in NY to ride you may not get on a horse on track property. If I want to buy a horse who is looking for a new job off the track, I am not allowed to throw a leg over him (even if my name is Gary Stevens) to try him, even to walk the shedrow without a lisence. By trying the horse, I'm not working or getting paid, but by riding it, I'm breaking the rules. It's mainly to assure that only qualified riders are getting on horses at the track. (I will here ignore the fact that there may well be many licensed riders who can barely hang on and that Gary can probably outride 95% of the riders out there even now.)

That said, had the horse not collapsed and Gary not been hurt, my guess is that no one would have been the wiser.

And Cordero is licensed.:rolleyes:

I would at least like to say that I feel sorry for the poor horse. RIP Thatcatismine. :(

After the incident Gary was interviewed by Stevie Haskins and said that was the best horse he's ever ridden. He then proceeded to curse, "Ow my f.uckin collarbone! Someone get me a glass of wine!"

Then Mike Smith came out of the jocks room with a nice bottle of chianti.