Lawyer Ron Goes to Pletcher..
 

http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35541

Just off phone with someone at CD, but Haskin beat me to it anyway...

Wow.------------

Jeez, 10 minutes notice before they take the horse. Holthus deserved a little better than that, no?

THink Holthus deserved better, but there's no doubt Pletcher will move him up, at least I think he will. Immediately bumped up a couple notches in my book especially given that he'll get a new jock with Pletcher in charge.

More to it than "deserved better"..
 

Not only did Holthus deserve better, but there was allegedly a condition in the Hines sale to Stonewall that provided 'Ron' stay with him throughout his career...

Steve, that's really weak. Switching doesn't kill me but to do it that way is classless. I hope they realize that he deserves an apology for that garbage.

Wow, can't believe that, maybe they were upset with LR's inability to rate, but that's still a raw deal. I think Holthus did just fine with him...

I couldn't agree more.............

People don't care anymore, about anything. Too many people have forgotten about old fashion values, being loyal and trustworthy.

I BLAME TV and Movies for hardening the youth......ok, I just wanted to see what that excuse actually feels like when ridiculous people say it.

Fact is that Karma is a bitch, and sometimes it is really bitchy and sometimes it just hurts a little but KARMA always comes and gets ya when you mess with it

I think this is a bad move.:(

Agreed..
 

If there was an unhappiness with things you think they could have made a rider switch first, had McKee specifically been the issue..

I'll speculate that there's a Breeders' Cup Classic appearance at the center of this... Stonewall likely wants in and Holthus may have been advising against?? Makes as much sense as anything...

Frankly, and I'm not looking to insult Holthus or McKee with this, I don't think they did a good job at all trying to find ways to get Lawyer Ron to relax. You cannot get a free-running horse to "rate" by tugging on him. All that does is make him run harder. That exhausts rider and horse.. You throw the reins at him and let him rate on his own. The horse will do it HIMSELF... You then pick up the reins when you want him to get back into the bit.



(As a sidebar to the above, I had a great talk yesterday with Precisionist's trainer Ross Fenstermaker who had Chris McCarron do EXACTLY this in the Silver Screen and Swaps... 5,000 win rider Tony Black also discussed it yesterday with us on ATRAB and said the same thing... Fenstermaker will be on the show tonight to talk about his late Hall of Famer, and I'll now try to get McCarron as well...)

I'll say it again, it's definitely a terrible way to do business, but does anybody really think it doesn't make sense?

What would everybody say if Funny Cide were (finally) taken out of Tagg's hands?

Tagg isn't the problem, the owners are

My first thought was that Pletcher finally has his Classic horse...

I would have done the rider switch first.

what a classless way to do business...this switch moves LR up in my eyes, though I still think he has little chance if he goes in the classic...I feel bad in a way though for Holthus, even if it is just business he's gotten the horse this far...

Not sure it moves him up anymore then he is. Hard to teach an older horse how to do something new you know. It is like teaching a 20 year old how to tie his shoes a different way. If anyone can do it Pletcher can but I think, from a gambling perspective, this horse is going to get unloaded on now, and some serious value against him, given the right competition

I agree with you ...undoing this horse's desire to be rank and on the front end will be a difficult task even for a guy like Pletcher...but I think a rider change would have been the first and best step to take before a trainer change...I wouldn't bet on LR before so I don't intend to start now.

LR doesn't always run off, he's only done that twice now. It's not like he's speed speed speed...I don't think it will change his odds much with Pletch, most people do not respect the horse much to begin with...

Well I have never been convinced Lawyer Ron was all that talented. I like Holthaus and I like McKee, but I dont think style of McKee or Holthause ever fit this horse. If Pletcher can get LR to improve like he did with Fleet Indian then Lawyer Ron is a definate threat in the BCC.

If they're smart they'll ignore the BC Classic and point toward the Cigar Mile. I've never been convinced LR can go 1 1/4 miles.

but from what i just read, holthus said he really expected to lose him back when stonewall purchased their share--that the new owners had made changes with other horses in the past...but that as time went on, he thought he would keep him since lawyer ron did so well this year.
not completely a surprise. they have an interest in the horse for the long run, can't say i blame them. ten minutes notice is crappy for sure tho!!

I don't see why folks are upset about the "short" 10 minutes notice.

I've been downsized and I can't imagine that 10 minutes extra in my office would have been all that special.

It happens.

Holthus will be all right.

Is it possible that the new owners want to race Ronny in the big name races on the coasts, whereas Holthus would tend to keep him in the Midwest? That would make some sense for a farm trying to 'make' a stallion - let's face it, winning the Donn H would mean more to most stallion shoppers than the New Orleans H or Oaklawn H.

Yes but he also faces getting his butt kicked by Invasor, Bernardini etc... Strong Contender wasn't holding up so well to the best in the east and LR lost to him. If anything, I stick around and keep capturing the 'other stakes'.

I'll make the over/under on number of remaining starts for Lawyer Ron 3 1/2....and you have to lay a price to go under.

The Pletcherization of racing is not good for the game. Not Todd's fault but feeding too many top horses into one outfit is not beneficial to the overall health of the industry.

OHHHHHHHHH I want to see him run in the Donn Handicap! That would make me a happy girl.

Honestly, I thought if the change was going to be made, it would have been made after the Kentucky Derby. He (LR) didn't embarrass himself in the Super Derby.

I wonder if he will be taken to California?

I think that all horses should go to Pletcher. This would make it much easier on everyone. Just have all the horses with him and they will all become stake winners and all the owners will make millions syndicating the stallions and selling the mares in foal. No more tough decisions on who trains your horse, just give 'em to Todd and wait for the checks to come in.

Come on, Lawyer Ron beat himself, or rather, John McKee beat him - Strong Contender just took advantage of the situation. Domedriver beat Rock of Gibraltar in the BC Mile, but you couldn't argue that he was the better horse off of that race.

Look guys,
They overpaid for this horse, everyone in the business knows that.
He can't get them back at stud what they spent on him, with his record now.
The horse may just be the kind who can't relax, who knows.
But when you kick up a zillion bucks to buy a horse, you have to do what you have to do to try and get your investment back.
You wanna talk about sporting? Sporting is kicking up that kind of dough back in the spring to buy the horse. Does anyone not think that was "sporting"?
Its business, thats all. And I would suspect that Holthus got a commission on the sale, as well as the 10% of his lifetime earnings so far. I don't think they will be having any benefits for him anytime soon.
I'm also pretty sure that Holthus never goes to Florida in the winter, and ususally goes to Oak. I'm sure they were looking ahead at the big picture and wanted him in Florida this winter anyway, or California for the Malibu series. The change would have been made then anyway, so why wait.
Holthus is a great trainer, and he did an awesome job. Its just business.

Actually, that would be a great way to go with him, take him out to the Strub series.

That is the problem with this business, it used to be more than just a business. And I think that most of anomisity that will be created because of this deal is not only with the way it was done (classless), but who the horse is going to. We all know Pletcher is a good trainer but when will enough be enough?

I should call Pletcher and ask him if he would accept me, he takes everything else in....

you're gonna need a sponser he doesn't take them in for free LOL

He would Scavs. You'd go from running 8 minute miles to 7 minute miles in 2 weeks. :p

Fleet Scavs, Scavs Indian.

ha, ha! :D

Do you guys honestly think that Pletcher initiated this?
That he was calling the owners up and begging to get this horse?
I doubt it highly.
I would imagine that after being rank once again, and losing narrowly in a big money race, that the owners wanted to make a change and try something new.
I guess I understand that people dislike the rich getting richer. But where were you guys when Mandella got Rock Hard Ten? Why wasn't there crying or bellyaching then?
How about when Kirian got Henny Hughes? Where was this outpouring of concern over loyalty or sympathy?
I guess I don't get it.

where did anyone say this?