The Rules Of The Game

I was up late tonight reading up on the latest information in the world of horse racing.  I was routinely browsing my favorites, DRF.com, Equidaily.com, etc., and I came across a story that both puzzled, and angered me.

It was a link on Equidaily that originated from the New York Post website.  The link was entitled "appeal abuse". 

Surely, most of my readers are quite aware of my necessity to click such a link.  The current state of  "system abuse", and further lack of responsibility by the human elements of racing, are a common topic of the "Quarter Pole".

The story was a two paragraph story within a full column/blog about the New York racing scene.  The paragraphs centered around New York Jockey Maylan Studart.  Studart, being a "journey-woman" for less than a year, with moderate success, was suspended fifteen days for an incident that took place in late spring.  A suspension she successfully delayed until this winter. 

When first reading the story, I was taken back at the length of the suspension.  I wondered how odd it was that I hadn't even heard about an incident that, given the penalty, must have concluded with multiple injuries, or deaths.  Thankfully, not so!

While reviewing the race in question, I witnessed a rider make an extremely careless, yet strategic action, that was a catalyst to her 41-1 long shot winning the race.  Not unlike the example I address further down.

I have no issue with the length of the suspension.  As most of you already know, I'm a "hang-'em" type of guy.  The more we hold the humans of our sport accountable for their actions, the better it will be. 

I just wonder where all those apologists are now.  You know, the ones who are always in the streets crying, and clamoring for justice whenever any rider receives a three to five day suspension.  Other than this column, half a year later, I haven't seen one single dot of information about this story.  I certainly haven't seen anyone come to her defense with the vigor and hyperbole allowed to other riders.  Who can forget the apocalyptic reaction to Paco Lopez's five day suspension during the Monmouth summer meet.  To hear him, and his lawyer speak, you would have thought the moon would have descended into the seas, and the sun would burn to the Earth's core if P.L. would have had to serve his suspension when it was handed to him this summer.

Unfortunately, the apparent double standard given to jockeys isn't even the most disturbing issue arising from this incident.  All too often, the horse's number is allowed to "stay up", and the stewards will deal with penalizing the jockey, at a later date.

In doing so, it badly disrupts the integrity of the whole parimutuel model.  By allowing a horse to keep their placing, it's basically allowing the rider to do whatever is necessary to win a race.  From a parimutuel, and purse standpoint, the owner, trainer, and jockey loses nothing. 

A perfect example was this year's Cinderella stakes at Hollywood Park.  Rafael Bejarano rode the 3/5 favorite She'll Heir.  While racing along the rail most of the way, he found himself trapped at the head of the lane, and would have had a difficult time finding room in time to win.  Instead, he made a very aggressive, and dangerous move to force his way out into a tiring horse, causing that horse to take up dramatically, and lose any chance she had at a better placing.  Quite similar to the action taken by Miss Studart. 

In doing so, he received a suspension (only five days), but the horse was allowed to "stay up".  The owner, trainer, and jockey were all allowed to keep their purse, and parimutuel winnings.  I'm sure that in the minds of the stewards, the horse he interfered with would have finished well beaten either way.  Maybe so, but by separating a rider's actions and a horse's placing, it tears at the integrity of the game, and perhaps even larger, it becomes a safety issue for the horses that can never be tolerated. 

Every horse player knows about poor trips, and racing luck, and have come to live with it.  That's just part of the sport.  Sometimes your horse is much the best, but doesn't get the trip.  Other times, you beat a horse that was much the best, but had a horrendous trip.  It may not seem true sometimes, but it usually evens out.  It's one of the many things that makes this game so challenging, and provocative to us.

As long as the rules are the same for everyone, we feel protected.  Once it starts turning into a wild west rodeo, and riders from a parimutuel standpoint are able to use any strategic means necessary to win, we begin to lose that trust.  We can never allow the rules of racing to become so blurred that the public no longer feels protected.

In this instance it was an eighty one thousand dollar stake race.  What if it happens in a million dollar race?  What does a rider have to lose?  He makes room by forcing his way out into a tiring horse and wins.  The stewards set him down for five days.  Does it really matter at that point?  He's already collected his hundred grand from the purse.  Five days off for a million dollar race?  For most jockeys, I believe it would be more than a fair trade off.

(I've included a video of the Cinderella Stakes, and you can go to calracing.com and search race replays for the horse "Auric Girl", or you can find race 6 from Belmont Park on May 31st through another replay website to see the race.)