Several Things

[TGJB]

1-- On Eight Belles, I would refer everyone back to my comments about her in the seminar BEFORE the race. For those of you who were not around many years ago (pre-website and pre-computerized sheets), I said something virtually identical in my comments about Go For Wand before the B.C.

The other thing I said I might talk about I think I have to sit on, at least in terms of specifics. In general terms-- we bred a Graph Racing mare (Pinata) to Unbridled\'s Song, Eight Belles\' sire, so we had a stake in her future. Back in March, I sent an e-mail to someone in the industry (not Porter or Jones) saying that if they trained her up to the Oaks she was even money to win it, or even money to hit the board in the Derby, but if they kept running her every 3 weeks they were looking for trouble.

A guy from the WSJ called me today and interviewed me at length about EB and various aspects of the industry. I was my usual quote-machine self, though I didn\'t let him get me to use words like \"greed\" when describing why some things take place in this game. Still, he\'s probably going to sensationalize it. Oh well, what\'s a few more enemies in this industry.

2-- Miff-- don\'t have trackman work yet, but if the wind was as strong (24mph) as they reported on TV and in their faces leaving the Derby gate, it would slow down the time for that race significantly (they run through the stretch twice), and speed up the times for the one turn races significantly, especially for the ones longer than 6f. This is going to come up a very big figure-- On Beyer it would be about neg 2 TG, before adjusting for ground.

3-- 10 years ago I got one of the best compliments of my life. Alan Shuback (foreign correspondent for DRF) was one of the people who was in our group the day VG won the Belmont, and still with us around midnight at a watering hole in Soho. He said \"You\'re exactly the same guy you were at 3:00 this afternoon\".

Jellish, my hat is off to you. You called your shot in detail beforehand, you crushed the race, and you acted like a mensch here afterward. Congratulations. Others should take note.

[miff]

JB,

Agree on the wind and understand. On another subject, if you have not attempted to buy the maiden winner of the 4th race, move fast.


Mike

[Michael D.]

TGJB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 1-- On Eight Belles, I would refer everyone back
> to my comments about her in the seminar BEFORE the
> race. For those of you who were not around many
> years ago (pre-website and pre-computerized
> sheets), I said something virtually identical in
> my comments about Go For Wand before the B.C.
>
> The other thing I said I might talk about I think
> I have to sit on, at least in terms of specifics.
> In general terms-- we bred a Graph Racing mare
> (Pinata) to Unbridled\'s Song, Eight Belles\' sire,
> so we had a stake in her furture. Back in March, I
> sent an e-mail to someone in the industry (not
> Porter or Jones) saying that if they trained her
> up to the Oaks she was even money to win it, or
> even money to hit the board in the Derby, but if
> they kept running her every 3 weeks they were
> looking for trouble.
>
> A guy from the WSJ called me today and interviewed
> me at length about EB and various aspects of the
> industry. I was my usual quote-machine self,
> though I didn\'t let him get me to use words like
> \"greed\" when describing why some things take place
> in this game. Still, he\'s probably going to
> sensationalize it. Oh well, what\'s a few more
> enemies in this industry.
>
> 2-- Miff-- don\'t have trackman work yet, but if
> the wind was as strong (24mph) as they reported on
> TV and in their faces leaving the Derby gate, it
> would slow down the time for that race
> significantly (they run through the stretch
> twice), and speed up the times for the one turn
> races significantly, especially for the ones
> longer than 6f. This is going to come up a very
> big figure-- On Beyer it would be about neg 2 TG,
> before adjusting for ground.
>
> 3-- 10 years ago I got one of the best compliments
> of my life. Alan Shuback (foreign correspondent
> for DRF) was one of the people who was in our
> group the day VG won the Belmont, and still with
> us around midnight at a watering hole in Soho. He
> said \"You\'re exactly the same guy you were at 3:00
> this afternoon\".
>
> Jellick, my hat is off to you. You called your
> shot in detail beforehand, you crushed the race,
> and you acted like a mensch here afterward.
> Congratulations. Others should take note.


I\'ll 2nd the thoughts on Michael Jellish\'s posts.

a great addition to the forum indeed.

[BitPlayer]

From today\'s WSJ:

Many industry insiders believe the injury to Eight Belles is a systemic problem. Jerry Brown, president of Thorograph, a New York-based firm that provides data and thoroughbred consulting to owners, breeders, and bettors, says the main issue is that the breeder market rewards big, good-looking yearlings that sell for a lot of money, without taking into account their sturdiness. \"What the market asks for, it\'s going to get,\" he said. \"It\'s about money and it\'s about ego.\"

[TGJB]

The writer had a specific place he wanted to go, and he went there. My comments were much broader, and a lot concerned drugs, and specific to breakdowns, steroids. We\'re making them too strong for their bones and soft tissue to stand the stress.

[alm]

Working with the press is always wearying...they need a story, that\'s all they care about.

Try this on for a response in the future.  I\'ve used it with bleeding heart friends in the past 2 days with great effect.

I\'ve lost 2 thoroughbreds in 2 similar incidents...they both died instantly...standing in a field, nice and pastoral and kind and warm and fuzzy...until 2 freak lightening storms struck and they were each hit by lightening bolts.

Maybe if they had been in a protected environment, at the racetrack for example, they would still be alive today.

Who feels worse about this disaster, the owners of Eight Belles or me?

Answer: neither...we both feel like shit.  But it\'s life (and death.)  Get on with it.

[TGJB]

I WANT the press all over racing, forcing the industry to change. I have long said that nobody in this industry will change without feeling pain of some kind, usually financial. There is an awful lot that needs changing.

I have turned a lot of stuff over to one investigative reporter about the TCO2 stuff. I\'m also being pushed (and considering) writing an op-ed piece about the things I discussed with the WSJ that did not make the article.

[girly]

Go for it!

[fkach]

>I\'m also being pushed (and considering) writing an op-ed piece about the things I discussed with the WSJ that did not make the article.<

If I had your name recognition, I would certainly use it to advance the sport even if I made some enemies in the process.