Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Too Much Bling was compromised by his post. If he sent into a duel with Fabulous Strike he would have been doomed to lose to Songster who was destined to get a perfect trip due to his luckier draw. The best idea was to let the other one go and hope to either be able to angle out or get enough room to get through. The reality is the hole was tight and the horse, like many, was probably a little chicken about getting through.

Songster and Too Much Bling are both nice horses. One got a predictably better trip than the other in that race and won. On an even playing field the result could easily have been reversed. Blaming a rider in this situation is mystifying as the race basically played out exactly like it looked on paper.

I am not saying it was a great ride, but I don't see what choice Gomez had, and there are certainly FAR better examples of poor rides.