Lawyer Ron Goes to Pletcher..
 

http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35541

Just off phone with someone at CD, but Haskin beat me to it anyway...

Wow.------------

Jeez, 10 minutes notice before they take the horse. Holthus deserved a little better than that, no?

THink Holthus deserved better, but there's no doubt Pletcher will move him up, at least I think he will. Immediately bumped up a couple notches in my book especially given that he'll get a new jock with Pletcher in charge.

More to it than "deserved better"..
 

Not only did Holthus deserve better, but there was allegedly a condition in the Hines sale to Stonewall that provided 'Ron' stay with him throughout his career...

Steve, that's really weak. Switching doesn't kill me but to do it that way is classless. I hope they realize that he deserves an apology for that garbage.

Wow, can't believe that, maybe they were upset with LR's inability to rate, but that's still a raw deal. I think Holthus did just fine with him...

I couldn't agree more.............

People don't care anymore, about anything. Too many people have forgotten about old fashion values, being loyal and trustworthy.

I BLAME TV and Movies for hardening the youth......ok, I just wanted to see what that excuse actually feels like when ridiculous people say it.

Fact is that Karma is a bitch, and sometimes it is really bitchy and sometimes it just hurts a little but KARMA always comes and gets ya when you mess with it

I think this is a bad move.:(

Agreed..
 

If there was an unhappiness with things you think they could have made a rider switch first, had McKee specifically been the issue..

I'll speculate that there's a Breeders' Cup Classic appearance at the center of this... Stonewall likely wants in and Holthus may have been advising against?? Makes as much sense as anything...

Frankly, and I'm not looking to insult Holthus or McKee with this, I don't think they did a good job at all trying to find ways to get Lawyer Ron to relax. You cannot get a free-running horse to "rate" by tugging on him. All that does is make him run harder. That exhausts rider and horse.. You throw the reins at him and let him rate on his own. The horse will do it HIMSELF... You then pick up the reins when you want him to get back into the bit.



(As a sidebar to the above, I had a great talk yesterday with Precisionist's trainer Ross Fenstermaker who had Chris McCarron do EXACTLY this in the Silver Screen and Swaps... 5,000 win rider Tony Black also discussed it yesterday with us on ATRAB and said the same thing... Fenstermaker will be on the show tonight to talk about his late Hall of Famer, and I'll now try to get McCarron as well...)

I'll say it again, it's definitely a terrible way to do business, but does anybody really think it doesn't make sense?

What would everybody say if Funny Cide were (finally) taken out of Tagg's hands?

Tagg isn't the problem, the owners are

My first thought was that Pletcher finally has his Classic horse...

I would have done the rider switch first.

what a classless way to do business...this switch moves LR up in my eyes, though I still think he has little chance if he goes in the classic...I feel bad in a way though for Holthus, even if it is just business he's gotten the horse this far...

Not sure it moves him up anymore then he is. Hard to teach an older horse how to do something new you know. It is like teaching a 20 year old how to tie his shoes a different way. If anyone can do it Pletcher can but I think, from a gambling perspective, this horse is going to get unloaded on now, and some serious value against him, given the right competition

I agree with you ...undoing this horse's desire to be rank and on the front end will be a difficult task even for a guy like Pletcher...but I think a rider change would have been the first and best step to take before a trainer change...I wouldn't bet on LR before so I don't intend to start now.

LR doesn't always run off, he's only done that twice now. It's not like he's speed speed speed...I don't think it will change his odds much with Pletch, most people do not respect the horse much to begin with...

Well I have never been convinced Lawyer Ron was all that talented. I like Holthaus and I like McKee, but I dont think style of McKee or Holthause ever fit this horse. If Pletcher can get LR to improve like he did with Fleet Indian then Lawyer Ron is a definate threat in the BCC.