Quote:
Originally Posted by geeker2
If you use Xpressbet you can see the replay and it will show the stewards inquiry head on. It looked like to me that Alvarado just thought he could make it through the opening towards the rail. I am not sure he ever saw the other horse there. The problem is that it is his responsibility to know where other horses are and not to impede. I don't think it was in any way deliberate.
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Now lets think about this one for a second. Its the Jockey Club Gold Cup and a veteran rider of over 6,000 races aboard one of the main contenders has another one of the main contenders to his inside for the entire backstretch. He just so happens to decide at the point of the turn I am going to duck into the path of one of the horses to beat. This isn't some bug boy who saw day light and went for it, we are talking about a veteran rider in the best colony in the nation. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Now, do I think he intended to drop Maragh? No probably not. But did he intend to check him hindering his progress into the turn? Absolutely. I'm sure he will go into the stewards and argue that Big Cazanova was getting out but as it turned out he ended up having to take back out of the spot he supposedly went for and go around him.
It was an egregious decision and he deserves a months suspension. Seeing as the NY stewards come up short on pretty much everything they do though he will likely get less.