Wednesday Show

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by analyizethis

At the end of the show on Wednesday there was a caller who was trying to make a point applauding AK and the way he was handled by contesting it to Big Brown.

I think that the relevant question to be asked is "Would the industry rather celebrate a Triple Crown won by a horse trained by a G. Motion/M. Matz type or by Rick Dutrow?"

To me the answer is clearly that we are better off today than in 2008 but maybe others don't agree. Also is it possible that the elimination of the wide spread use of steroids has leveled the playing field and allowed a trainer like Graham to shine?

There's a lot to talk about regarding that call, and I'll state as an opening salvo that I feel Bonnie was erroneous with much of her rhetoric. For starters, let's address Graham Motion's career up to now:

Career Thoroughbred Racing Summary:

Starts Firsts Seconds Thirds Earnings
7,897 1,502 1,207 1,103 $ 64,002,284

Summary by Year:

Year Starts Firsts Seconds Thirds Earnings

2011 160 32 31 25 $ 4,066,359
2010 525 97 80 80 $ 5,310,273
2009 644 102 108 99 $ 5,389,192
2008 674 115 120 104 $ 6,659,959
2007 645 145 94 81 $ 6,561,404
2006 519 90 81 66 $ 5,161,890
2005 551 100 73 67 $ 4,900,801
2004 424 81 65 43 $ 4,358,674
2003 318 55 47 53 $ 2,822,266
2002 350 66 57 43 $ 2,772,473
2001 447 86 75 61 $ 3,162,005
2000 517 97 82 78 $ 2,942,732
1999 500 95 68 61 $ 2,559,845
1998 350 76 51 64 $ 2,202,748
1997 316 74 47 40 $ 1,811,848
1996 393 74 51 54 $ 1,508,426
1995 276 60 38 38 $ 965,706
1994 175 36 27 20 $ 448,959
1993 113 21 12 26 $ 396,724

He's on his way to his best year in earnings obviously with the big Derby bump, but based on wins and earnings previous to '11, his biggest years came smack dab in the middle of the 'steroid awareness' era. Mainstream America might not have been aware, but let's not pretend Graham Motion wasn't highly effective or a big training success before Saturday.

The myriad of misunderstandings demonstrated in that call Wednesday were eye-opening, and displayed a basic premise that seems to tinge every discussion in this area: If someone has a likeable personality they are automatically elevated above reproach, and those with personas perceived as worthy of disdain are conversely impuned without due process.

I didn't have time to get to it, but I assume Bonnie would have been shocked to learn that Motion and Matz most certainly employed steroids where they thought appropriate for their horses, as did any trainer in the game for more than 40 years. And why wouldn't they? As an FYI, Big Brown wasn't the first horse to win the Derby and Preakness while utilizing a steroid regimine. He may have been the 25th. (That would make Barbaro perhaps the 23rd.)

The idea that Animal Kingdom is a more admirable Triple Crown candidate than Big Brown because Motion trains Animal Kingdom is silly. Had Big Brown been able to win the Belmont, he'd have been just as deserving of the laurels that go with the achievement as those that came before or those that will follow.