Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin
You say, "You've got to show something on those days." He has to show something on those days, or else what? Or else the press will get on him? Or else people on this board will criticize him? Those are about the only ramifications I can think of. I doubt he will lose any owners. He really does not need to win any of these races right now. He will continue to make millions of dollars a year regardless and he will continue to be the leading trainer in the country.
I agree that he needs to win some of these races by the end of his career if he wants to go down in history as one of the all-time greats. As long as he wins one by the end of his career, he will be fine. I think time is on his side. All he has to do is win one in the next 30 years. In the meantime, the Pletcher Machine will continue to dominate, with or without a Derby win or a BC Classic win.
|
That's why he needs to show something. Dan Marino is in the Hall of Fame, and no one denies that he's a great quarterback, but he's got that "but..." in his legend. That's what Pletcher will continue to have if he doesn't start showing up on racing's big days. "A great trainer, but..."
It's just like the situation with Alex Rodriguez. He's obviously a great player, but until he shows up in the clutch in October, none of his astronomical regular season numbers matter. Does that mean there won't be 29 teams falling over themselves to sign him if he fails with the Yankees? Of course not. But it'll always be part of his legend that he couldn't produce when it counted. Same thing with Pletcher. He'll continue to win his stakes and get his clients, but it'll be in his legend that he can't win the big race for whatever reason.