Another Top Tier Media Writer on Big Brown

[SentToStud]

http://startelegramsports.typepad.co...-brown--1.html

Gary West is one of my favorite racing writers. But here, he goes too far. I suppose after he knocked Dutrow pretty bad in his article on Derby Eve by writing, "... Dutrow obviously doesn't understand the Kentucky Derby or what's necessary to win it...," it's not shocking that he refers to the owners as "... ownership leavened with corporate greed" and "smarmy."

He said he will not vote for Big Brown as HOTY as a statement for not rewarding premature retirements. Even if BB wins the Triple Crown.

I don't get it. Not at all.

If he wants to demonstrate against Dutrow, IEAH, Pompa and Three Chimneys, he can do that pretty easily by excluding them from his Eclipse Award votes. But not voting for a TC winning horse, notwithstanding the quality or lack of quality of who he beats, seems really wrong.

I also think it's wrong to be overly critical of owners cashing out since the economics of the sport have evolved to where it is nearly impossible to stay in training. Pompa put up $200,000. IEAH put up $3 Million. That's a lot of money and it was spent with no guarantees. I suppose we can be thankful the media has gone easy on Three Chimneys for their end of the deal, at least compared to what we would be reading if Darley or even Coolmore had been involved.

Almost every writer I've read has, at best, a modest opinion of Dutrow. But for West to suggest he didn't have a clue how to win the Derby is a pretty bad assessment of his ability to get a horse to win a top race. Maybe Reinstedler turns the corner with St Liam after 8 or 10 starts of mediocrity. Maybe Silver Wagon would have snapped his very long losing streak in stakes if he had stayed with Ralph Ziade. And, of course, George Mikhaledes (!!) might well have gone on to win a couple of Grade 1s with Silver Train. Anything's possible.

As far as the owners go, I wonder what Gary West, other writers and people in general wrote or thought about the connections of the two prior TC winners; Affirmed and Seattle Slew? Louis Wolfson, Affirmed's owner, was a twice convicted felon and did a bit of time. Seattle Slew's owners, the Taylors and Hill, saw fit to fire their trainer less than a month after winning the Triple Crown.

I do remember Slew getting only modest respect because of his competition. And both Slew's trainer, Billy Turner, and owners did not win Eclipses. So maybe that's West's "out" if he feels compelled to vote his conscience.

If BB wins the Triple Crown and races anywhere against Curlin (a true fluke to still be in training), that TC Winner vs Reigning HOTY race will arguably be as big as any since the 1978 Marlboro when Slew beat Affirmed.