Beyer Checks In on Godolphin
 

"Certainly, Bernardini has generated little attention, despite his brilliance as a racehorse."-Beyer


Are you kid'n me? Even the women that post here have practically grown tools to whack off with while watching him run.

Yes but this is a Horse Racing Message Board. Of course we all know about Bernardini. Bernardini is not a household name outside of racing by any stretch of the imagination. EVERYONE knew Funny Cide and Smarty Jones. You have no idea how many people I know in NY that have no interest in racing that were asking me about them. Now, to be fair they were TC aspirants, but even people knew about Lost in the Fog. Now, sure, Bernardini's Preakness win was WAY overshadowed by Barbaro's injury, but it also masked that there was no human interest story involving Bernardini.

I think it would be fair to say that Beyer is acutely aware of how much human interest stories fuel racing.

Mediocre minds?

Exactly what I was going to say. I've been at a loss to understand why people think that Bernardini is so good for racing. The only people that know him are the people already involved in the game.

I agree with just about all of the article except for the part where it says their strategy doesn't work for the Derby. Granted, they haven't won the race yet but I feel it's more because they haven't had horses good enough try it yet. I haven't thought a single runner they've sent over has been a legit contender and it had nothing to do with where he was trained. Besides that, the Derby is just simply not an easy race to win. Look how long it took for Wayne Lukas to finally win it. A guy like Frankel has never won it. I personally think that it's silly to say that a certain strategy doesn't work because it hasn't happened yet. They say the same thing about Pletcher and that he can't win the big one. It takes time. Soon enough, the right horse will come along (for both of them) and it will happen. I think it's best to say that it hasn't worked YET. Like I said, look at Lukas. It took a while to get the door opened but once he did, he blew it off.

This just goes to show that the Kentucky Derby is all that matters to people who are not horse racing fans. They prob have heard of Barbaro and that he got hurt or something like that, but if you were to ask them about Jazil and Bernardini and which TC race they won I bet 50% wouldnt get it right.

King Glorious
 

True enough, but their Derby results have been horrendous so far, and that does not JUST include those that have run. They have paid enormous sums for many horses over the years, and not only have those that tried it done poorly, but many never even got close to making it.

In the cases of Frankel and Pletcher that you brought up, each has had some success, Invisible Ink and Bluegrass Cat were second for Todd, and Empire Maker and Peace Rules ran two-three for Frankel. Plus, Frankel has never been a trainer focused on TC races. The Sheiks have been at least trying to be effective in the Derby for quite some time.

Trainers,and breeders are whores(with regard to this.) You could be scum of the Earth,a dictator,or whatever,and Frankel would train for you.Arabs could be cutting Jews heads off(and using them for bowling balls,)and he would still train for them. These Sheiks have been rippin' their people off forever,and nobody in the horseracing industry has cared before.I Don't think they will start to care now.Is Andy saying that the imdustry will start to care if they start winning our Triple Crown races? I don't think so.The industry just cares about getting money,and they don't care where those people got it from...."Can you get an owners license"-that's all they care about.

As crude as the language is, astonishingly enough, you are pretty much dead on.

I like the cut of your jib, sir.

Yes,and I can't understand where he gets off complaining about it now.Seems like people here weren't upset about these Sheiks using the Country's oil money to buy horses.That.. they didn't complain about.They are complaining about them winning our big races.If Andy really cared about these Sheiks rippin' their country's people off,then it would seem the article should be about the prices paid at auction.People didn't seem too up in arms when these sheiks spent the money,but when the horses they spent the money on do well,that's when people start getting upset.LOL..Did he expect them to keep failing after buying up all the best bred horses,and the fastest prospects they could find?

The story is timely with the BC coming this weekend and Godolphin holding a very strong hand for the races. That is why it is a story of specific interest right now.

I assume it is. It was my understanding it was in tomorrow's Washington Post.

Poor Jenny
 

I certainly have missed the yearly Jenny Craig runners since those nasty sheiks bought up everything with 4 legs ! For heavens sake I've gone off my diet and put on 20 pounds :D

Jenny Craig is using her money to constantly advertise on TVG.Each time that Cow Kirstie Alley comes on it's like acid coming out of the T.V....Oh,big mouth lost 75 lbs??..Well,don't stop short honey.Try 25 more.

I really thought she would be done after losing 75lbs......I was wrong.

I agree with what Andy is saying in the article,but it is incredibly late to start complaining about the Sheiks' involvement in American Racing.It is like the father of the bride objecting to the groom on the day of the wedding.The groom has B.O.,and the father knew that for months,but he only objected to the wedding when he himself had to smell it for a couple hours.

lol,
its sad but true.

earlier in the year during Saratoga, I would mention to my friends that they should check out ESPN on Saturday afternoon b/c a memorable horse named Bernardini would be running.
Told them we would look back 15 years from now and talk about how we saw him run.
they would respond with something like,
"could he beat Funny Cide or Smarty Jones?"

LMAO,
the casual sports fan just will never get it.


Repent

I can give you two reasons that Lava Man is missing as to why they don't buy him---if you get my drift. ;) (i.e. the Bob Barker treatment). If it was solely about buying the talent on the track they've have bought up all sorts of horses they didn't. Notice Lawyer Ron, Afleet Alex, and the like didn't go to the sheikhs. They didn't want to try to stand them. I heard they snubbed Smarty Jones because they figured his sire was good enough for them and they didn't need sonny boy.

They want stallions to stand and broodmares to send to those stallions if possible. They're paying for the stallion in advance of his track performance really and if they make several million surely paying $1.4 mil or $5 mil is chump change. I was trying to think of a prominent gelding they've bought...has there been one? I'm honestly drawing a blank. Not one they've gelded later per se but did they even do that with a horse they'd bought as a colt?

Ashkal Way is the most notable current gelding they have running.
I dont know when he was gelded.
I was thinking Afrashad was a gelding but Im not sure on that.
i know Lateen Sails was a gelding. I assume he is still running.


Repent

Ahhh.. ok thanks repent, that's a good one I didn't remember. But still, they say they have too many viable horses in the race so they don't run Ashkal Way but I'd have figured he was going. I'd be willing to bet at least part of the reason is what would a Breeders' Cup victory/placing do for them if it's a gelding? They can't breed him with the accolade in the trophy room, they can just stare at said trophy---heck the horse would be its own trophy for all intents and purposes so when it comes right down to it they probably try to mess with geldings at little as possible ergo I don't see them buying Lava Man anytime soon. I'm sure there's exceptions for various reasons, I just mean they probably don't look at a gelding winning big races and go 'ooh jackpot, where do I sign?' without something else to it.

The absolute maximum Lava Man could return is another $8 mil and that is if he wins 2 BCCs and the same races next year that he did this year,. They would rather spend $11.7 on a Snap Cat yearling that could possibly win a Derby or sire one down the road.

One has to wonder when their competition at the Keeneland sales is going to finally throw in the "towel" and say the hell with it. It will be at that point when horse racing will no longer be a sport but just another form of betting like blackjack or poker.

I think Beyer's main point is right on. But, "Certainly, Bernardini has generated little attention, despite his brilliance as a racehorse." is simply a reflection of how little exposure and interest there is in racing these days.

The number of people who recognize the name of Ghostzapper or St. Liam, our last 2 HOY's, is not any greater than the number of people that have heard of Bernardini. That has nothing to do with the sheiks.

Sadly, they could let Bernardini run another year and it probably wouldn't change much as far as the non-fan public is concerned. Even Cigar barely created a blip on the sports pages during his long win streak.

--Dunbar

For those blocked to drf at work: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...103000924.html

I believe the same thing. Maybe I'm wrong here but I know that over the years, I've warned people about criticizing the way the Sheikhs have been trying to win the Derby. It's been my feeling for years, since watching them dominate the European racing scene, that if they so wanted to dominate American racing the same way, they could. It's been my belief that all of the criticism would lead them to taking an "oh, u don't think we can dominate your game?" kind of attitude and lead them to buying any and everything just to show that they can.

This is correct in my opinion. We can have a superhorse running but if nobody knows it, it's sort of like the falling tree in the woods thing.

Thanks, now I can figure out what the hell everyone is talking about.

Thanks... :D

I will sound crude and different here, but is their money not the same as others? It's green right? Is it money that belongs to shareholders or savings and loan customers? Is it drug money? Hey, welcome to the sport, after all, money talks and bullshiat walks right? I don't know, I don't follow what goes on over their in their country, so I can't speak politics on this. All I know is that if they were not involved in horse racing period, then maybe the landscape would be diferent? Question that begs to be asked, would it be better or worse, the state of racing?

All one has to do is go to their local track on Kentucky Derby day and look at all those unfamilar faces. Those faces that you will not see their during the Summit of Speed or the day after Thanksgiving (easily one of my favorite days to be at the track). Everyone knows, outside of us Horseplayers, that Derby is a social party. For us, it is a great day to watch and wager on those horses we have followed for months. So BillyBean wins the Derby. You go to the track for the Preakness. Look at the faces, ah, some are back. BillyBean finishes 4th. You are at the track for The Belmont, you look around. Same crowd as any Saturday in January or October, the players. For those outside of Horseplayers, it's all about latching on to that special event, time pulling for that cute animal to win all 3. Breeder's Cup, whats that?

I'm dizzy.

Take it to the extreme. What if one day all 20 entrants in the KY Derby are owned by the Sheiks? That's the day I will just turn off the TV.

And witty. LMAO

gill ?
 

In a comparison on a much lower level of the game, do we all miss Michael Gill from racing ? He still has a few horses with gammy, but he tried to monopolize the claiming game and most race fans disliked him . Tracks also disliked him for his aggressive claiming tactics among other things. Delaware Park would not give him stalls and he bought his own training center nearby.He would dominate some tracks claiming divisions by buying up so many that there was little competition. Owners/trainers kept their horses in the barn until the gill show moved on to another track. Was what he was doing legal, sure, was it good for the game, I don't think so. The same could be said for what the sheiks are doing. I'm glad that Beyer penned this column.
BTW, this past sunday the NY Times had a new sports magazine included. The name of the magazine is PLAY . ( Bill Parcells is pictured on the cover.) On page 16 is an article, GALLOPING TO GREATNESS . It is the story of Bernardini. Its a sparse article listing what's so good about Bernie with a large photo of him taking up half the page. Just suprised to see it in the NYT.