Assessment - Overview

As I ponder the 2008 Breeders Cup and the state of the horse racing industry, I keep coming up with the same group being responsible for 90% of
the problems in the sport, and that is the breeders. Why they are southern gentlemen who have kept the tradition alive, right? Maybe not. Here are the
three issues I think they own lock, stock and barrel:

1. They Have Killed the Emotional Attachment of Fans to the Horses.

This is a seriously big deal, and one of the prime reasons we all are involved in this sport. Whether we root for Zenyatta, Sunday Silence, Tiznow,
Curlin or whoever, we need the emotional attachment to keep us coming back for more. Now we see them more as faceless athletes and not as
something we buy pictures, hats and t-shirts for. I don’t go to a track to see athletes; I go to see races and race horses. Races where I can get
pumped up, yell, plead, or get depressed – winning or losing money is really secondary. The most fun I had BC week was getting to see Zenyatta up
close with Sharon – there are lots of large fillies, but this one is something VERY special. When she came into the paddock and the maiden fillies
being saddled immediately moved away from her and refused to look her in the eye, I got to see a true alpha female, way cool. I have always been a
sucker for fillies, probably because they stick around.

The last colt I really liked was Tiznow, some SEVEN years ago. Before that there was a whole string of them – Sunday Silence, Forego, Riva Ridge,
Spectacular Bid, Majestic Prince, Damascus, Buckpasser, Dr. Fager, I could go on forever. But from 1989 to 2008, only one colt, Tiznow. We try to
find one, but Colonel John, Curlin, Big Brown, whoever just doesn’t fill the bill. No sense in getting attached to them, because they will be gone soon.
How strong is the attachment? Look at the reactions when I said I thought Zenyatta was close to Ruffian – I would have been safer saying your wife
is ugly and your kid is stupid… Why? Because Ruffian invokes that emotional attachment. These horses “represent” for us – from where we live
(Sunday Silence and Easy Goer) to the qualities we hold in high regard (the refuse to lose of Tiznow or Personal Ensign). But none of them did it in a
vacuum – there was always a rival that sealed the deal. Sunday Silence would have been a “nice” horse without Easy Goer, but the two of them…
Same thing with Affirmed and Alydar, Damascus and Dr. Fager, Personal Ensign and Winning Colors – they all need the rivalry to take them to revered
status. Anytime some east coast twinky starts giving me crap, all I have to say are two words, “Sunday Silence”, and they go into a rage barking
about Pat Day, SS was ugly, that EG won the Belmont, that the sun was in EG’s eyes… Fun actually, but this was something that happened almost
twenty YEARS ago. I probably watch the 1989 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders Cup about once a month – and it still has the same effect
on me - jaw tightens, I sit up and lean forward in my chair and start saying through clenched teeth “nail him, don’t give up, beat that SOB” – pretty
strong drug to last 20 years. Now, I watch a race, and think “that’s nice” and move on.

So what happened? This started when Secretariat was forced out at 3 and has only gotten worse. He was certainly not the first 3 year old to be
whisked away to the breeding shed, but he seemed to start a new paradigm where it not only became okay to do it, it became expected. Everyone
knows that the 4 and 5 year old seasons are the prime years for a race horse, yet the breeders are the ones who yank any horse worth a buck off
of the track after their 3 year old season. Follow the attendance decline in horse racing if you think I am cracked. This year we anointed Curlin as the
current savior, but without Street Sense, Hard Spun and the others he just could never make the jump to great. He is a very good handicap horse, but
not great – not his fault, but he really is only good. Now they have added the “hang nail” twist – “boy we would really like to show the world what he
could do, but you know with a severe hang nail, we are going to do what is best for the horse and retire him (see Ghostzapper, Invasor, Smarty
Jones, Afleet Alex, etc.). You cowardly, greedy weasels (sorry Alan)!

Now look at the love for fillies – how many great fillies can you name pre-Ruffian? Okay, how about since Ruffian? Genuine Risk, Winning Colors,
Personal Ensign, Azeri, Ashado, Sardula, Ouija Board, Paseana, Bayakoa, Go for Wand, Landaluce, Soviet Problem, Zenyatta… That’s odd isn’t it? All
colts up until 1975 then the fillies afterward. My, my, what could have happened?? Was it Ruffian? Or was it the fact that the great rivalries were on
the way out. People stopped going to the track, which is not surprising – which game would you rather go to, USC vs. Michigan or LSU crushing
Morehead State?

2. It’s ALL About the Money.

The Breeders Cup was a great idea when it started, and now? It’s about the money pure and simple. The Breeders Cup is a multitude of non-profit
and for-profit companies registered in multiple states. Where exactly does all the money go? Trust me, they do not want you to find out (he says as
he takes another swallow of coffee from his $25 BC coffee cup). They absolutely rape the tracks, getting everything and leaving the tracks with
what they would make on a good Saturday. Money and black type, that’s what it is about. Who stands to profit from the additional races? Five more
chances to say So and So, the BC champion… The same group who has expanded the number Graded Stakes to the point that you can now get
black type from the “Sam’s Chevron Stakes”. THE BREEDERS!

Corporate sponsorship has always annoyed me, but the Kentucky Derby by Yum Brands? So our best known race is being brought to you by frickin’
Taco Bell??

Now CDI makes an attempt to fight back during the competition for the 2008 Breeders Cup, refusing to sign off on an onerous and one sided
agreement. Magna, led by the Austrian Napoleon sees a chance to stick it to CDI and eagerly agrees to the terms. CDI lets the BC folks know they are
not happy and prefer to be kissed after they are screwed. BC’s response, “why you ungrateful little jerks, try this on – not only are we giving Santa
Anita the 2008 Cup, we are giving it to them for 2009 as well”.

3. The Breeders and Owners are Beneficent Defenders of All Things Horse Racing.

This has to be the biggest crock of all times. They could care less about horse players, trainers, jockeys, you name it. They dominate the state
agencies that make the rules, make huge donations to their political buddies and only do something when the spotlight shines on them. Tell me you
don’t believe they knew what was going on with the drugs and steroids? I mean how would they know which trainers are dirty?? John Amerman,
one of the CHRB members had a horse pop positive for MORPHINE and was ordered to return the purse money as part of the disciplinary action. He
refused – what are you going to do, report him to the CHRB? Kind of like the fact that the DUI stats for cops are 1/10 of the general public. He gave it
back years later when a series of articles came out.

These state boards (read breeders and owners) start dictating that tracks need to be synthetic; I mean they are there to defend the poor
defenseless animals, right? Yeah, sure – this was a “twofer”, you get to show the public that you are doing everything to keep the horses safe, but
the reality is that it was about money (see 2 above) because it increased the handle as the tracks could continue to operate when the weather
sucked.