JC / Railbird

So, SO close… but not quite. damn!

Posted by dana on July 11, 2008 @ 8:13 am

Meh… I don’t see why Jess Jackson needs to be the one to make the statement.

Maybe this is why people don’t race their star horses past a championship season–there’s just too much talk about what they should do for the game, as if Jess Jackson owes you or I anything.

The place to start getting rid of drugs is at the regulatory level, not with the owner of the best horse in training.

Posted by EJXD2 on July 11, 2008 @ 9:04 am

Ooo, game theory applied to the racing industry. That’s an essay someone needs to write. My knowledge of game theory is limited, but it would be really interesting to analyze things from an economics/game theory perspective. Ok, well, I would find it interesting.

Posted by Kerry on July 11, 2008 @ 9:18 am

Looking forward to seeing this horse tomorrow in person. When I last saw Curlin at MTH, he was ALL muscle. I don’t know the first thing about what a horse on steroids is supposed to look like or even if you can tell if a horse is on steroids. I don’t even know if it matters, but Curlin walking to the paddock before the classic looked like Barry Bonds to me. Bad comparison, I know, but compared to the other horses in that race, Curling looked much ‘bigger’.

His legs are huge

That said – I don’t trust a word any of these people say regarding what they administer and what they don’t. I mean c’mon, isn’t the first rule of this game to pretty much throw out anything a trainer or an owner says regarding their horse? Believe at your own risk. The ‘against it since the 50’s’ comment alone is a huge red flag for me.

Posted by o_crunk on July 11, 2008 @ 9:18 am

Kerry, I too would love to read game theory analysis applied to racing … that could make for some interesting insights.

Ed, I can imagine owners find it annoying being hectored by fans and miscellaneous observers about what they should or should not do for the game. I wouldn’t say that Jess Jackson owes us anything — if he wants to race Curlin on or off steroids, on or off Lasix, that’s ultimately his call — but I do think that if you’re prominent within the sport and publicly articulating positions like “I’m against all performance-enhancing drugs” or “I have been for zero tolerance since the 1950s,” then you have an obligation to act on your words and accept some risk if you expect what you say to have any meaning. It means zip to say you’re anti-chemicals and yet do nothing until regulators force change.

Posted by Jessica on July 11, 2008 @ 9:41 am

The point is that Jess Jackson DID make the statement…

Anyway …

I think Better Talk Now beats Curlin. To me, he’s just as worthy a star, if not more so, and with clear sailing he would have won the Manhattan. Everyone gets so lathered up because Curlin is racing at 4. FOUR! He’s lucky he gets the big shift in weights tomorrow.

Posted by John S on July 11, 2008 @ 10:41 am

Ooh, handicapping talk. I haven’t spent enough time with the pps yet, but I do think Curlin is vulnerable on the new surface …

Posted by Jessica on July 11, 2008 @ 11:58 am

boy I sure wish i could go to Belmont tomorrow. i saw Curlin at Churchill for the Foster and it was full of Curlin fans!-so much fun! Nothing like cheering with 13,000 brothers and sisters!-shatteringling loud! Keep Curlin in your exacta, he is running with so little weight I am thinking he will look like Wiley Coyotee on the mark, get set, wait..wait now go….

Posted by libby on July 11, 2008 @ 5:47 pm