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Without Further Ado – by Brock Sheridan for SureBet January 1, 2012 - The end of old year and beginning of the new bring about lists of “the best of,” “top of,” “funniest” and so on. In looking back on horse racing in 2011, to me, the more intriguing of list is “the worst of 2011.” It wasn’t too bad a year really. None of the Kardashian’s bought race horses and the closest thing we have to Charlie Sheen is Frank Stronach, who keeps saying “vinning” with the success of his Adena Springs breeding and racing operation. The year wasn’t particularly fascinating nor did it produce much in terms of memorable moments or characters. So in that vein, I present to you the “2011 Brooksies” (the worst moments of the year). With further ado and in no particular order: The Worst of 2011 · Jockey safety is a concern every year, and 2011 was not different, with Hall of Fame Quarter Horse jockey Jacky Martin paralyzed from the neck down after a spill at Ruidoso Downs on Sept. 2. Later that month Martin was moved to TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston for rehabilitation. In one of the year’s best stories, a portion of his rehabilitation will be funded by the Ruidoso Downs Racetrack Chaplaincy benevolence fund, started by a $100,000 contribution from track owner R.D. Hubbard and his wife Joan Dale. · In February jockey Eibar Coa suffered paralyzing injuries when he broke vertebrae in a spill at Gulfstream Park. Although he was diagnosed as a quadriplegic, Coa’s story ended miraculously when he walked out of his hospital in April. Even with the happy ending, the Coa story again illustrates the daily dangers of being a jockey. Another year went by without a significant improvement in a technology to improve jockey safety. That makes my “worst of 2011” list pretty easy. · The Breeders’ Cup. Since there is only one Breeders’ Cup a year, it is technically not “the worst of…2011” but it will go down as one of the least memorable Breeders’ Cups. The 2011 renewal featured disappointments such as Goldikova losing the Breeders’ Cup Mile for the first time in four attempts and Uncle Mo failing to complete his comeback from a liver ailment (more on that later BTW). The Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup juvenile failed to produce a star 2-year-old that will keep our excitement for the 2012 Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands at a fever pitch over the long and cold winter unless anybody thinks Juvenile Sprint odds-on winner Secret Circle can extend out to 10 furlongs. We won’t know that until May, but out next indication comes Jan. 7 in Santa Anita’s 1-mile Sham Stakes (Grade 3). If you want the worst Breeders’ Cup Classic storyline of all time, jockey Mike Smith on Drosselmeyer caught Chantal Sutherland and Game On Dude in deep stretch giving the $5 million race a TMZ/Extra angle. Two years ago, the two riders’ boo and girl boo relationship was telecast as part of the since-canceled television reality series Jockeys. The relationship between the Smith and Sutherland went awry during the last episodes of the series but one would have thought Mark Anthony just defeated Jennifer Lopez. · Again we had a Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands winner who could not make it to the winners’ circle as the titlist. Animal Kingdom gave it a good try; finishing second to Shackleford in the Preakness after winning this year’s Run for the Roses. But a sixth-place in the Belmont Stakes and a small cannon bone injury to his left hind leg put Animal Kingdom on the shelf for the remainder of the year. Although Animal Kingdom is scheduled to return in 2012, it has now been since Big Brown won the 2008 Monmouth Stakes that a Kentucky Derby victor has since won another later race. · Speaking of Animal Kingdom and his Kentucky Derby victory: Team Valor stable manager Barry Irwin made this “worst of” list when NBC’s Bob Neumeier asked Irwin about trainer Graham Motion in the moments after winning the Derby. “I was tired of other trainers lying to me,” Irwin said to a live television audience, “and I wanted a guy who would tell me the truth.” Really Barry? Is that the best time to voice your relationship grievances with your past trainers? · The older male horse division was generally a flop. It was the July 23 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar when Acclamation became the first of his division to win a second Grade 1 race around two turns. (He had also won the Charlie Whittingham Stakes at Hollywood Park in June.) Acclamation would continue his streak, also winning the $1 million Pacific Classic, but he never made to the Breeders’ Cup, and that hurt. Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Flat Out was the Classic favorite at 3.6-to-1, but a 4-year-old filly (Havre de Grace) was a very close second choice at 4.1-to-1. Flat Out finished fifth while 14-to-1 long shot Drosselmeyer won his first Grade 1 race in a year and a half in Classic that was synoptic of the entire year in the older horse division. · The demise of horseracing in Texas. Remembering the Alamo is one thing but the desertion of horsemen by the Texas State Legislature on a regular basis, will go down as one of the great tragedies in Lone Star State history and lore. It already is recognized as one of the biggest disappointments in horseracing in the last 25 years. Once again the Texas state Legislature failed to pass gaming legislation that would have provided additional revenue to several breeds in the state including racing. Thanks to some who still believe this legislation can be passed when the lawmakers next meet in 2013, none of the larger Texas tracks are in danger of extinction. The same cannot be said of smaller tracks like Mano Downs or for Texas horseracing fans. · Horse racing and social media. I made more progress with my mother-in-law than horse racing did with social media. Yes there are tracks with Facebook pages, but some of them don’t know the difference between a fan page and a personal page. Most tracks have Twitter accounts also, but I hate to tell them a solid social media campaign is more than race results and just additional advertising for cap day. Social media is interaction. Why aren’t tracks retweeting nearly every story by SureBet Racing News and every other trade publication and blog? The reason: They do not have successful social media. · Worst reason for scratching a Kentucky Derby favorite. I’m not implying in any way that owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher were dishonest about a liver ailment causing them to decide not to run probable favorite Uncle Mo in the Derby. I’m just saying of all the reasons. I’m an optimist by nature, so I’m hoping things get much better in these areas for horseracing in 2012. Technologies adding to and improving advancements in safety helmets and vests will one day eliminate permanent injuries for jockeys in the sport. And there might be another lousy Breeders’ Cup in our future, lets just hope for a few good ones first. Something tells me that the casino interests that own large stakes in Texas tracks now, will somehow convince Texas lawmakers that the many horse disciplines in the state are good economically and culturally for the state. I’m not so sure I’m quite as optimistic about racetracks and social media. I figure they’ll have Facebook and Twitter mastered just about the time they both become obsolete. In
general, I’m looking for a much better year for horseracing in 2013.
In fact, I’m hoping for a wonderful new year for all. | ||
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