Know people on the winning side and I\'m sure they would have preferred to win without the Stewards involved.

Could someone replay the stretch run side by side with this race and last year when Abel Tasman drifted straight right and knocked Elate offstride. If the difference in judgments can be explained then I will know the Stewards are consistent. Which all of us know they are NOT

Bet Twice: No stake in the race so am unbiased. Seemed like pretty mild contact to me, I think they should have let it stand.

Silver Charm: I dont either. I\'m just wondering if the Stewards were to compare and justify two different decisions for two incidents that look very identical it would help me and almost all other fans.

jbelfior: Did Irad hit JV with the whip?


Good Luck,
Joe B

BitPlayer: I was on the wrong side of this one, but don\'t really have a problem with it.

A few thoughts regarding factors that may have affected the decision and its consistency with prior decisions:

I think one of the NY stewards retired recently, and the replacement is a veterinarian.

Given the increased emphasis on safety nationwide (and the recent cluster of fatalities at Belmont), I wonder if we are going to see a trend towards stricter enforcement of the rules.

The fact that John Velazquez lodged the objection probably lent it credibility.

As an aside: would it be that difficult to implement a split screen with the pan shot on top of the head-on?  In this case, it would have made it a lot easier to determine whether the bump(s) coincided with Vino Rosso\'s resurgence.

jbelfior: Three bumps in deep stretch caused by same horse in a race decided by three inches. Seemed like a pretty easy call.


Good Luck,
Joe B.