Wow. Barbara is the greatest! Without a doubt the best photographer in horse racing. Because she is a horse woman, she knows what to look for.
So, let's talk about this picture and something in it that I have not heard anyone talk about yet and of course, the owners rant that was a reporters dream.
Picture:
The grabbed 1/4 has a skin flap attached to it. That's a good thing , and most do, but without seeing inside that flap I can't know positively how deep it is. That said, it happened at the gate probably, most do, and I would venture to guess that about 5 in a hundred of that severity , from what little I can see, would effect the horse during the race.
Feet bleed a lot when horses do this, and he ran and galloped over two miles and that's all the blood there is? I would rate it on a 1-10 scale, 10 being worst about a 3 or maybe 4. I doubt it had anything to do with the outcome of the race. But that is not the most significant thing in that picture.
For any doubter's out there, you know when you slice the end of your finger or toe a little? What's the 1st thing we all say? We say, " man, that's going to be sore as hell in a couple of days". Not, oh man this is real sore already. Now, do it in a game you are playing and the adrenaline and the moment makes it so you don't even feel it, or so slightly that you immediately go back to all that you are in the midst of, which in this case is running a race. So trust me on this one, it was not a factor in the outcome in all likelihood.
Take a look at the back of CC's ankle. You see the friction burn behind it? THAT is the story folks. He ran down up front ! That is huge in that he had not done so before. That tells you that the horse in all probability was not totally comfortable and fluid in his stride and was slightly compensating, something that we have not seen before. Horses have a natural callus that they are born with to help protect that area. He burned that off and then the hair around and the skin. Don't get me wrong, not a broken friggin leg, but just something that made him not quite perfect. And in a race like this, not quite perfect is a big deal. Probably so subtle that the trainer, exercise rider, etc. could not see it. Or if they did and were aware of it, it's probably under the catagory of what we would call, a slight pinch or muscle ailment that is treatable and not the least bit life threatening. Remember, these are athletes that need to be treated for minor aches and pains during their "season", so to speak. You don't not run for a minor ache and pain, you work on it and as long as it responds, you continue.
Art Sherman will not be worried about the grabbed 1/4 but he will be very concerned with the running down. This picture also allows you all to see exactly why bandages are put on behind and up front. Those bandages they run in help prevent those friction burns. Did the running down get him beat? No. Did what caused him to run down get him beat? Maybe to probably, but we don't yet know what that is so let's see what is revealed in the next few days. Sometimes, it's just the wear and tear of the 3 races in 5 weeks.
Now sometimes it is not a slightly different gate that causes these friction burns but in this case, with the angle of his pastern( from the foot to the ankle), it is not a conformation flaw, it's something else. Very probably something physical but again, let's see. A best guess is that he is probably pinching in his left hind area as about 80% of the time, if you run down in the front, look at the opposite hind area and you will usually find the problem. Probably a muscle soreness from running but we will see. If so, a very common ailment that is treatable . And he won't have to run 3 times in 5 weeks again either. That too, will help.
As for the ride, I think he did just fine. No he was not able to get outside, so it might not have been perfect, but it was pretty close to perfect. The rider had plenty of chances to do something stupid and he did not. He nothing wrong IMO. Just came up a little empty.
The owner:
He made a fool of himself. I have heard there is a "ground swell" of support for his argument from every novice sports reporter in my area that would not know which end of a horse craps. The argument is soooo stupid, it really deserves no answer. Mr. Evans answered it appropriately. It was dumb, and ill advised. Why talk to that yahoo anyway. Let's talk to the trainer and get an ounce of real insight, not that knucklehead. Here's a guy that has DAP written on his silks for dumb ass partners and I want to hear what he says, and people take it seriously? Really? Unreal.
Enough, no, make that too much, already said about that owners rant. Show some class for Christ's sake. It's easy to talk when you win. And the game is MUCH bigger than you and whatever fits YOUR agenda. Just get out !