Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
By: Rinaldo Del Gallo, III
It has always bothered me in horse racing that stewards are too reluctant to take down horses in big races, even when there is a clear foul.
The racing stewards got the Jim Dandy wrong. Let’s face it—Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. made a very common, calculated risk. He took the inside path with Forte to save on running distance. It came with a price—by taking the inside path, he was boxed in. Being boxed in is always a possibility when you want the advantage of taking the shortest route around a racetrack, and many horses have to do it if they want to have a chance.
In horse racing, you have to stay in your lane. You can only move over when there is room. To be fair, Saudi Crown kept drifting outward—but this drift seemed to start significantly after Forte repeatedly and for an extended period of time kept slamming Angel of Empire. Angel of Empire is an excellent horse with a real chance of winning, yet Forte kept slamming into him as if they were bumper cars at an amusement park. Without being slammed, one can easily see Angel of Empire taking first or second. Forte should have been placed third, behind Angel of Empire.
It is not the only time the stewards have disappointed. Goldikova should have been taken down from third in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Mile. (It was her attempt at a fourth Breeder’s Cup Mile). Codex should have been taken down in the 1980 Preakness.
Goldikova clearly fouls in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Mile, but her number does not come down.
Genuine Risk should have been declared the winner of the 1980 Preakness after Codex careens into her in the turn into the homestretch.
Codex flagrantly fouls Genuine Risk to take the Preakness.
Sometimes officials plainly play favorites. While the film footage clearly shows In Memoriam beating Hall of Famer Zev, even today nobody declares In Memoriam the winner by a nose, which he clearly was. The great Zev, who had won the match race and won against Papyrus could not be declared the loser against In Memoriam.
It is readily apparent in this British Pathe film that In Memoriam won.
It has been said that in Europe there is a little bit more courage to take down a fouling horse in a big race, such as when the filly Simple Verse really should have been taken down—and the stewards got it right. Then the British Horse Racing Authority reviewed the case and got it wrong, reversing the stewards.
Simple Verse fouls in the 2015 St. Leger.
The only time they got it right was when Maximum Security was disqualified from the Kentucky Derby, and I bet on Maximum Security.
No, I did not bet on this year’s Jim Dandy, so I am neutral. But Forte fouled Angel of Empire before Saudi Crown drifted out. Angel of Empire was making a good drive to the finish line and had a real chance. It was a foul that mattered. Forte should have come down and the racing stewards should have shown more courage.
I am not the only person that thinks this way:
The actual race, where Forte fouls Angel of Empire, probably cost him a higher placing, but is not taken down:
