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I did not read much about the recent criticism of Wise Dan’s 2013 campaign, but I did hear about it. I was not shocked. It is the 21st century way, where everybody has an opinion and a forum to express it.
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He might want to crack a history book or read some old racing forms.
The pressure to campaign top horses in a most challenging fashion was ALWAYS much, much, much, much, much greater in the past.
And the criticism would always come colorfully and heavily from the best turf writers.
Other than Pat Cummings, I don't know a single person (myself included) who has criticized Wise Dan's campaign, now or anytime before that.
Has anyone here?
Has anyone on Twitter? ... where I suppose I must not be reading enough tweets?
I guess Dick Jerardi is nostalgic for the syrupy drivel of the late 1960's, 1970's, and most of the 1980's ...
Mr. Morton Fink's remarkable gelding Wise Dan and his intrepid trainer Charles LoPresti choose to brave the weather and spotted Brobdingnagian weight spreads ranging from 11 pounds (to Mr. Adele B. Dilschneider's Lea, a recent winner of an Optional Claiming race) to 13 pounds (to Mr. Roger Braugh Jr.'s gelding Ol Army, a recent winner of an allowance race at 14/1 odds at Indiana Downs) to his four ferocious challengers.
Other than Pat Cummings, no one really cares where Wise Dan is campaigned. We know his trainer is as cautious and judicious as they come. Even though he's a gelding... no one is expecting him to be campaigned like Kelso, Forego, or John Henry.
Just as no one should expect Wise Dan to be revered like they were.
Jerardi was obviously fond of the worst period of horse racing coverage in America. Great horses and great racing happened in that era, great writers as well, but the way those great writers went about covering that great racing was dull, boring, lame, and often lacking strongly in opinion, insight, or gossip.