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#1
10-06-2006, 03:00 PM
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The Jerome "Handicap" ... Another Black Eye For Racing
Yes ... I'm back ... and ...
... in catching up on the races I missed ... and there weren't very many that I really "missed" ... the one which struck me the most was the disgrace called the Jerome "Handicap." Here we had Discreet Cat ... one of the most talented, accomplished, and charismatic 3YOS to come along in many years ... assigned a "staggering" 124 pounds ... "giving away" all of six to eight pounds to a bunch of palookas ... and easily running away from them in a public workout which was nothing more than a crashing bore. When Bold Ruler ran in the same race in 1957 ... he carrried 130 pounds and gave 17 pounds to the second horse and 23 pounds to the third horse ... in a race which will always be remembered as the first of 11 in which Bold Ruler carried 130 or more ... winning 9 of them. An opportunity to add real excitement and meaning to this year's race ... was completely blown by the NYRA ... and the racing industry in general. Had Discreet Cat been assigned ... and accepted ... 134 pounds ... and given away 20 to 25 pounds ... his victory would at least have had a meaningful story line ... a great young colt in a real sporting contest hearkening back to the greats of yore. It may have even caught the eyes of the general sports fan and the general public. As it turned out ... the race was a total yawner ... which no one save the fanatic few noticed or cared about. Thoroughbred racing is dying ... and the fault lies within the industry itself ... there's not a drop of sportsmanship, creativity, or excitement left. Why should anyone care about these boring runaways? See ... you really missed me ... didn't you? 
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#4
10-06-2006, 03:17 PM
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The Jerome was Bold Ruler's 11th start as a 3YO and 21st overall. Wouldn't you have liked to have seen Discreet Cat run 21 times by now? Regardless ... it's the track handicapper's job to use weight to make the race into a sporting (and betting) contest. No effort whatsoever was made to accomplish that. Why call it a "handicap" when anyone who understands racing knows that it isn't? What an insult to our intelligence and knowledge. Just call it the Jerome Public Workout ... and show a little honesty. Disgraceful.
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#5
10-06-2006, 03:27 PM
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My explanation would be simply to make the purses increase considerably for each grade of stakes races, maybe making it more enticing for owners and trainers to enter horses in races to at least try to catch a decent check. Currently there are too many equal pursed stakes races across the country with a lack of decent or qualified horses to run in them. What this allows is for trainers and owners to pick their spots, if a owner/trainer feels their horse isn't a stand out or at least a legit threat to win a certain stakes race, they simply do not enter and wait for an easier spot down the road. This is why horses only run a few times a year in comparison to years past, and why the horses continue to be more fragile in each generation.
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#6
10-06-2006, 03:33 PM
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Wouldn't you have liked to have seen Discreet Cat run 21 times by now?
LOL, I would settle for Discreet Cat to have started 10 times so far instead of his 4. Its Ghostzapper all over again. One can only wonder how much better most horses would be able to run if they only started 3 or 4 times per year. I feel bad for anybody who wasnt following horse racing back in the 80's or early 90's. Its gone so far downhill since then.
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#8
10-06-2006, 04:54 PM
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150K not $1.5M
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#9
10-06-2006, 07:15 PM
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It is precisely the racing secretary's job to do his best to make sure that the horses who occupy the barn space also make regular appearances on the track. Full fields in competitive races are the very essence of being a racing secretary.
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#10
10-06-2006, 07:17 PM
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I saw that Discreet Cat race live. He destroyed those horses. Our friends brother knows everything about horses and he said Discreet Cat is the best horse in the world but Bernardini will be better in the shed. Something like that.
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#11
10-06-2006, 07:33 PM
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The Secretary can book many races in which large amount of horses fit the conditions, but it still doesn't mean owners/trainers will enter. They book races in hopes to have large fields, obviously meaning larger pools, but when you have limited horses that fit conditions, which is what racing is facing in NY and CA, your hands are tied. We often see Secretaries book stakes races with a purses of $150k to 500k and they are regularly getting 4-7 horses entered, that is a huge problem. There are too many stakes races in this country with too few of qualified horses to run in them. Hence, leaving it easy for owners/trainers of the decent horses to pick and choose their spots avoiding the tougher races for easier ones, padding their earnings, and stealing purses just about all year long. We cannot blame them, they are not breaking any rules, but this is something that needs to be addressed in the US or the quality of stakes racing will continue to dwindle. A perfect example is the Super Derby. Not usually regarded as a great stakes race, but still offers a late season Grade II $500k purse for 3yo's only. They basically got no one of note to enter besides 3 suspect comeback horses and 5 tin cans.
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#12
10-06-2006, 07:45 PM
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However ... though you are correct in what you say ... my point was that the NYRA handicapper had not only an opportunity ... but an obligation ... to the bettors and to the sport ... to assign a weight to Discreet Cat which would have made the race more competitive and more interesting. And the Sheik had an obligation to accept whatever weight was assigned. What was the point of having Discreet Cat run off by double-digit lengths? He was a brilliant talent running against palookas ... so at least use the one available option ... weight ... to provide some sort of story line for the race. The headline ... "Discreet Cat Wins By 4 Toting 134 Pounds" ... is a bit more eye-catching and of historic value ... than "Discreet Cat Romps Over Nothing."
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#13
10-06-2006, 07:51 PM
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If they assigned 134 pounds, its quite possible Discreet Cat would not have ran and they would have looked for another easy spot for him... Like the Super Derby, or something similar.
THIS IS MY POINT, let me make is crystal clear for you since you are struggling. There are too many large pursed races with a lack of quality horses. Making it difficult for secretaries to assign high weights without the risk of losing the horse to another track or secretary who will assign less weight.
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#14
10-06-2006, 08:09 PM
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We don't care what your brother says....much less what your friend's brother says.. Are you a friggen imbecile? Ez
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#15
10-06-2006, 08:40 PM
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__________________
I'm greener than Al Gore so therefore I'm green enough! Last edited by sham : 10-06-2006 at 08:58 PM.
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#16
10-07-2006, 10:05 AM
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The problem is too many Grade I races and the emphasis on a Grade I win when it comes time to sell the breeding. Imagine if we only had 10 Grade I races for older horses all year. Imagine 3 grade I races for three year old all year. Imagine only 5 grade I races for turf horses. It would force these horses to compete against each other to get that all important grade I win. Then, to be eligible to compete in the Breeders Cup races (except for 2 year olds) you must have at least 7 starts under your belt.
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#17
10-07-2006, 10:23 AM
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#18
10-07-2006, 11:15 AM
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He hasn't been the same since they strapped the cement bag into his backpack and made him run twenty-five times around the refrigerator boxes against the light weighted Sowells. No wonder he needed three weeks to recover, all that pain for four bottles of Colt 45. too bad he lost. In answer to his question in his original post...NAH! didn't miss ya. At least the mental health responders found a way to return him to the "safe place" under the Cross Bronx Expway bridge. "Lost, I'm lost I tell ya!" Now, if we could just get the librarian to kick him off more often. Logic and BB??? Never in the same sentence. Actually, NEVER! Does he still drool on your windshield before he sprays it with the "windex" on the off ramp? Logic=run him over next time he pulls that stunt. Maybe he'll get the point that it's safer to go back to collecting cans an bottles for the deposits. Anyway, maybe Gander can suggest a good chiro for his back. I just hope the chiro takes coinage for pay.
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#19
10-07-2006, 07:02 PM
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I'm so surprised that Bold Fraud has nothing to say.
Maybe his "cardboard palace" has been found, or he's barred from the library. Can't wait to hear his "opinion" on Benardini. If you see him in the Bowery, dish him a sandwich and a root beer. It's getting cold out there, and I'm sure he'd appreciate your kindness.
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