Here are two pieces from a story I just found when I googled the Cigar situation - where Frankel insisted Cigar was wearing turndowns.
The morning of the Classic, blacksmith Jim Bayes pulled off the hind shoes and hammered a slight downward angle to the tips, creating what he explained was the same effect as a cleat or a sticker.
"You want to put on a new one?" Mott asked as he inspected the wear on the left plate.
"No," replied Bayes, who also works for Shug McGaughey. "This shoe is perfect."
As far as Bobby Frankel was concerned, though, they looked illegal. The eagled-eyed Hall of Famer caught a glimpse of Cigar’s hind shoes as the favorite walked by the saddling stalls. He then went to an official.
"That horse is wearing turndowns," Frankel said. "Maybe someone should take a look."
Turndowns, now banned in most jurisdictions, were the show of choice for several New York trainers two years ago. With their extreme downward angle at the back of the shoes, they could grip a loose surface and provide better traction than more common off-track plates. They also were found to be more jarring on impact, and heaven help the rider or horse stepped on or grazed by the blade of the turndown.
"Cigar was not wearing turndowns as we define them," said Clinton Pitts, steward for The Jockey Club. "They were more like what is called a ‘trailer.’ They were not specially forged, and there were no wedges building them up. They appeared to be shoes right out of the box."
While Cigar calmly submitted to an inspection from official horse shoer Tom Goettsheim and Bailey stood nearby, the other Classic horses circled under their riders.
"Get the weight up!" cried out Pat Day from atop Unaccounted For, concerned that Cigar was getting a subtle advantage.
The tempest ended. The shoes were okayed.
And...
Frankel was equally glum about Tinners Way.
"He had no shot," Frankel said of the Pacific Classic (gr. I) winner. "He’s got size eight feet, just sliding around out there. You don’t think I would have liked to use turndowns?"
Mott later called Frankel a "crybaby" for questioning Cigar’s shoes.
"Crybaby? He called me that?" Frankel shrieked. "Now it’s war. Hey, I’m only looking out for the interest of my owner. If I say something AFTER the race, then maybe that’s being a crybaby."
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