Motion post race..narcissistic?

[Donut]

The reason for writing this post is because I made a disturbing observation on Belmont day.  Immediately following the race, it seemed as if Mr. Motion had little or no concern for the way Animal Kingdom may have finished his very troubled and frightening mile and a half race.

The way I perceived Mr. Motion\'s mindset and emotions were to be very self-centered.  I would just expect more out of the new \"golden boy\" of  racing with his clean code of ethics that everyone in the media world has been patting him on the back for in the last 5 weeks.  

Usually in any race, especially a race of the Belmont\'s magnitude, a good trainer\'s eyes are peeled on his entry before, during and after. Seeing how the Belmont started with the miserable break and Johnny V almost out of his irons and AK almost falling to his knees it only adds to a very intense moment. AK\'s chances were greatly comprised by the start of the race and the way it looked was horrifying as a race fan.

With all that and Graham Motion being the star trainer that he is with a ton of experience you cannot take your eyes off your horse in that moment.  You just want to make sure he is ok!  Maybe Mr. Motion\'s expectations were so high that anything less of a win was a major let down, which I completely understand.  Especially after seeing AK\'s performance, he was the best horse in the triple crown run and the best horse on Belmont day. 

But I can only go so far with that way of thinking because in this game, all we have at the end of the day is the horse. To sit there selfishly after what unfolded in that race and to see your talented animal show so much heart and determination, you do not take your eyes off your horse. The main reason being, after such a potential catastrophy, injury becomes your only main concern.  If you would like to view what I am referring to, visit any NBC replay where the camera immediately follows the finish.

[Rick B.]

Donut Wrote:
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> The reason for writing this post is because I made
> a disturbing observation on Belmont day.

> ...after seeing AK\'s performance, he was the best
> horse in the triple crown run and the best horse on
> Belmont day.

Not to be too much of a smart ass, but I find your assessment of AK disturbing.

A troubled start and an ankle chip aren\'t enough, IMO, to call him the \"best horse on Belmont day\" -- that\'s assuming WAY too much, and frankly, it\'s insulting to the actual winner, who patiently stalked the frontrunner, then fended off all challengers after taking over the lead.

Sorry. Ruler On Ice was best horse on Belmont day. Animal Kingdom was over the top, and stuff always seems to happen to over the top horses that prevents them from displaying their so-called \"greatness\". The fact is, when we discuss the truly great horses, no excuses need to be given -- because they got the job done.

[Donut]

Hey pal..I had ruler on ice..FYI. Brilliant speed and ak were the better horses that day they just didn\'t get the trip. Smart ass? You should read the fu**ing post again and try to comprehend it better the 2nd time around. If you don\'t think AK to this point was the best 3yo this year you should go get your head examined.

[Rick B.]

Donut Wrote:
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> Hey pal..I had ruler on ice..FYI. Brilliant speed
> and ak were the better horses that day they just
> didn\'t get the trip. Smart ass? You should read
> the fu**ing post again and try to comprehend it
> better the 2nd time around. If you don\'t think AK
> to this point was the best 3yo this year you
> should go get your head examined.

I read your post just fine. Maybe you should slow down a little and re-read mine.
 
I said NOTHING about who was the best 3 year old this year. Go look.

As far as AK being \"better\" than Ruler On Ice on Belmont day, no sir. I don\'t see it that way. Not even when you add in the excuses. We will just have to disagree -- which I can do without foaming at the mouth.

[Donut]

This is a post about motion..ur thoughts??

[Rick B.]

It was MOSTLY about Motion. I was merely commenting about the little piece you put in about AK.
 
I didn\'t see Motion on camera nor do I have a replay to look at, so I can\'t comment on Motion\'s post-race actions, non-actions, lack of emotion, etc. If I saw it and thought it was as bad as you said it was, I might have had a couple of sharp comments myself.

One thought comes to mind, though: I don\'t know how Motion runs his operation; is it possible that his barn foreman or vet was already attending to AK, and Motion decided to stay out of his or her way, and handle the media instead? Not making excuses, just asking. I have a real hard time believing the guy just doesn\'t give a flying about his runners.

[APny]

I thought the same thing Donut....very interesting reaction by Motion.  The only thing I thought was maybe he didn\'t see what happend at the start?  Durkin missed it completely.  If he did, one would have to think he was pissed at JV for having him so far back again.

[big18741]

JR would have pulled that horse up at the wire or earlier in the race if in distress.Put in the big wide run between 8 and 10 furlongs then flattened.

He galloped him out past the wire a pretty good sign nothing was wrong.Motion has assistants and handlers down on the track as well.

I didn\'t see the video you\'re referring to-only a quick shot of Motion sitting there with his family after they crossed the wire.From everything I\'ve read and heard regarding Motion he cares as much or more about his animals than anyone.He\'s just a humble quiet reserved guy.Again not sure what he was or wasn\'t doing from the replay but I\'m pretty sure if he thought that horse was in distress he\'d have found his way down to the track.

[sighthound]

They showed a replay of Motion watching AK nearly go down at the start, and at that point, when the horse stayed up and Johnny stayed in the saddle, he knew the horse was done.  He gasped, then just watched the horse.  He knew it was over then.

Motion is well-known for the care he gives his horses.  Just after the race he said that he wouldn\'t have blamed Johnny if he had immediately pulled the horse back and just cantered around out of contention.

Do not mistake a lack of public demonstrativeness for lack of care or concern.  The man cares very greatly about his horses.  He\'s well-known for it, and well-respected in the industry for it.

[MonmouthGuy]

He definitely saw what happened, knew that the race was over, and just watched.