Collusion in the BC Classic

[xichibanx]

Didn\'t see this here may have missed it...

bc.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=25182

This one is by Steve Haskin relating a conversation had by Frankel/Ramsey.

www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...31001&rfi=6

By Nick Kling about the story.

Both must reads...

To me this is worse than drugs because you can handicap trainers you can\'t handicap this.  But nobody will do anything to Frankel and the boys as usual.

xichibanx

[Silver Charm]

X,

It did come up briefly in another string.

What is becoming more apparent with every story is SOME PEOPLE have actually managed to make the Ethics and Conduct of Pro Wrestling appear on the up-and-up.

[BitPlayer]

I couldn\'t get to the Kling piece following the link that you posted, but this has been the topic of prior posts on this board.  Frankly, I don\'t see the problem.

The way the BC Classic unfolded from a pace perspective was not a surprise.  Haskin published a piece on the Bloodhorse site BEFORE the Breeders Cup saying that, because Ghostzapper has an aversion to dirt in the face (he\'s no dummy) and was starting from the one hole, he would be sent.  Frankel was quoted in the article.  RIM and Azeri were both rated in their races immediately prior to the BC, so it was predictable that they would be rated in the Classic if GZ went.  I seem to recall a TV commentator making that point in some form immediately before the race went off.

Trainers announcing before the race that they are sending their horse to the lead and that others must sit off the pace or get cooked is nothing new.  Biancone did it with Lion Heart in this year\'s Derby.  Baffert did it a couple of years back with War Emblem.

I\'m sure conversations between trainers or jockeys of frontrunners are also nothing new.  If memory serves, several years back, ABC caught Desormeaux (tracking the pace on Free House) on tape as the field was running down the backside telling the jockey on the pacesetter that he could go a slow as he wanted.

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

BitPlayer wrote:

  Frankly, I don\'t see the problem.
>
> The way the BC Classic unfolded from a pace perspective was not
> a surprise.  Haskin published a piece on the Bloodhorse site
> BEFORE the Breeders Cup saying that, because Ghostzapper has an
> aversion to dirt in the face (he\'s no dummy) and was starting
> from the one hole, he would be sent.  Frankel was quoted in the
> article.  RIM and Azeri were both rated in their races
> immediately prior to the BC, so it was predictable that they
> would be rated in the Classic if GZ went.  

Everyone is trying to win and if Ramsey took Frankel\'s advice it was in an effort to win. For Frankel the \"good\" advice was worth about $200,000 so he was protecting his interests. For Ramsey it amounted to about $640,000. I agree it was very unseemly and my reading of the Bloodhorse article indicated Frankel was choosing his words very carefully. The guy is no dummy, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to win that kind of money and thats the problem.

As far as the pace being foreseeable, I disagree. I don\'t think RIM rated last (he was running comfortably on the lead, to me theres a difference) and Azeri had one chance and I projected her front end. Additionally, I thought Funny Cide would be forwardly stalking. Add the track condition (wicked) and collusion to the mix and the pace fell apart. Rarely has a race fell so softly into a horses lap. All you Ghostzapper \"sure thingers\", tune in next year.

CtC



Post Edited (11-13-04 11:46)