(Quick note: Rumor is Coburn's sold his interest to Taylor Made, but as of this post it's still a rumor. Paulick posted something about it, but I'll wait til I see it in Bloodhorse or DRF. If he did, it rather affects running at 5 and Martin's interests in that.)
Ugh, I thought we were done with Chromie post-Belmont apologist stuff, esp. about an old issue, but I just don't think they hold water.
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Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
Coburn shot his mouth off in the heat of the moment and then later apologized. I guess lots of horse racing fans have never shot their mouth off in the wake of a disappointment. Or maybe those fans have just been lucky enough never to have had their big disappointments occur while a dozen television cameras are pointed at them. I just don't get the vitriol spewed at these guys.
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That's not disappointment. That's bad sportsmanship, and initially he not only didn't apologize, he doubled-down on it. Heat of the moment ought to go down sooner than it did for him. I think it was more 'uh oh, people don't like us now, you better apologize' pressure from others and then he came around. Shooting one's mouth off is swearing or getting angry and saying something that felt true but you should've kept to yourself. It's not attacking the character of the other participants off of rules you should've known going in and you accepted. You don't get the vitriol? It was downright shocking to watch, esp. because his argument just didn't hold up. We had a chance in front of a national audience of some size to cultivate new fans, and he made us look bad. Fans wanted to feel badly for them and in one fell swoop he turned what was a (at least publicly) supportive base in this sport into one that resented him very much. Most people who lose their chance at the Triple Crown don't do this. Most of the losses I've ever seen in horse racing have been handled with greater class. No I *don't* think I or anybody else on this board would've slung that kind of bad sportsmanship on live national television.
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Reminder of how sorry Coburn was:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...list/10224725/
As Sherman is quoted as saying in the USA Today article, "The horses aren't cowards and the people aren't cowards. … I think it was a little out (of context) myself. But, hey, he was at the heat of the moment. And don't forget, he's a fairly new owner. Sometimes the emotions get in front of you. … He hasn't been in the game long and hasn't had any bad luck."
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I'm not gonna go back and reread the great apology tour effort. Coburn was pushed to apologize and maybe he eventually felt sorry after he calmed down but he shot his wife a particularly nasty look after the Belmont when she tried to hush him. She knew better. The guy's got a temper. It has nothing to do with being "new." If he's new, what's Mrs. Coburn? Sherman was trying to be diplomatic, but he obviously didn't agree with what was said. I've seen many new owners take situations like that with greater grace, and again he should've had greater awareness of what can happen in this sport than his wife who was along for the ride, and he didn't. Say "no comment." Then people think NBC is being the jerk for hounding you about it.
As for not being in the game long, we've got examples of that where people handle it well and handle it poorly. It's not about being new, it's about class and level of awareness as a fan or businessperson going in. If you're new to a sport do you think it's super wise to go breeding foals that add to the population of TBs in need of retirement homes? Would've made more sense to buy a yearling. Chrome could've been a dud. His sister shows promise but again, could've been a dud. Were they prepared for what to do with live animals they were breeding? They can't be new to the sport AND claim wisdom in breeding decisions. Gotta pick one. If they knew enough to pat themselves on the back for the latter, then they aren't the former. If they relied on luck and naivete as new breeders, frankly it's irresponsible. I don't think Perry Martin's anybody's fool there. He should've managed Coburn's expectations. Martin used his enthusiasm when it benefitted him, and chucked it when it didn't.
This is partly a critique of DAP and partly general: So you approach a trainer with a plan to win the Derby without having had much experience in the sport? Why does it never seem to sink in with some new owners that if they're new, maybe they don't know enough to make the call about where to run a horse? Hire someone who does and let them do their job. You can't just point at races and say 'let's win that one.' I think that's what they thought they could do with a horse of Chrome's talent. I think that's why they didn't feel too badly about the PA Derby call. They should've learned their lesson there and didn't. What does it say when 'should know better and doesn't' is the m.o. of owners? Doing it in the beginning is one thing, but if you *keep* doing it, it's a mark against your sense and you deserve criticism for it.
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Now Coburn and Perry are learning how heartbreaking the game can be. I don't question the decisions (2nd in the Dubai World Cup don't suck); I just feel bad for them, the way I feel bad for any owner who loses a good horse to injury.
(Though I do hope Perry's obsession with getting what he thinks Chrome is worth at stud leads to him coming back at 5.  )
And, for what it's worth, in the wake of Chrome's Belmont, I had several friends ask me, "So why ARE new horses allowed to run in the Belmont?" Sigh.
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These owners alternate between swing for the fences naivete and attempts at calculation. It's like trying to bluff at a high stakes poker game and you don't know what all the chips represent or how to calculate odds. At some point, a sensible person knows what they don't know. They stubbornly refuse to deal with that. Romance is great, but it blows up in the face of horse racing in the long term if people don't develop an appreciation of what can make this sport incredible or maddening. Of what it takes to succeed and how even if you do all the right things, you can still lose. I'm not sure how to view Perry Martin at this point. I could argue either way with him. I think Coburn's more of a tragic figure. Sherman should get sainthood for dealing with all of this.