Nostalgic Horse

I will preface this by saying that Lawyer Ron has won this writer over. I used to think he was a second rate horse at best, but this year he has been something special, and that is a good thing since Invasor is retired.

If Horse of the Year were decided tomorrow, he would get my vote as the three year olds really haven’t separated themselves in my eyes yet. Many are ready to claim that Street Sense is the three year old champ, and he probably would be, but I still think his tendency to hang at the end of his races is going to get him beat again this year, by another three year old even. I also think Jeremy Plonk was right on the money with the rail analysis. Can he win off the rail? I have said all along that he also carries with him a track bias. He is a good horse everywhere which is why he won the Travers and Jim Dandy, but he really beat no one. He is an exceptional horse at Churchill Downs, and Churchill on the rail…. well, watch out!

Lawyer Ron on the other hand can win from anywhere on the track, and likes all tracks. His last two races, The Whitney and Woodward were specatacular displays. He has clearly stamped himself the best older horse in training. Still, one thing remains to be seen. Can he win at a mile and a quarter? He seems unbeatable at a mile and an eighth, but his two tries at more than that, have been pretty disastorous. He finished 12th in last year’s Derby (which can be excused) and then ninth in the Classic. His sire is Langfuhr, Canada’s champion sprinter in 1996. Langfur is by Danzig, and his offspring typically cannot get a mile and a quarter, although the gutsy Hard Spun did make a very good showing in this year’s Derby. Lawyer Ron cannot afford to let Street Sense beat him in the Classic. We know the distance will not be an issue for Street Sense, but determination to win might be. I will be rooting for Ron, because truthfully I don’t like to see a three year old (especially one that will be retired at year’s end) win Horse of the Year. A title would do nothing more than bolster a stud fee, and I don’t like to reward unsportsmanlike behavior.

Sadly, that is the only way I can describe the rush to the breeding shed, and it is growing tiresome talking about it. The racing industry doesn’t seem to want to do anything to stop it, so why should anyone invested in the sport care? The racing industry doesn’t even want to properly punish offenders of drug use, so why would anyone expect them to do anything about the greed of their breeding industry? It is growing tiresome reading about it as well, and it is certainly growing tiresome seeing it happen over and over again on the racetrack.