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How is this fair? Name another sport that allows such foolishness? You either participate in a season, or a series, or you don't. Coburn's barrage after the race was nothing new. He had been talking about a system that is patently unfair all week leading up to the race.
The observations made by TexasHorseLady in her commentary concerning the industry is spot on. It is a tough, tough business which has been in decline over the years due to a few specific reasons. A racetrack and ALL the people it takes each and every racing day for their particular 'race dates' is a world unto itself. But as THL has said, 'that's another story for another thread'.
However Coburn comes off to many, including the public arena, he makes a valid point so perhaps a dialogue can begin taking a look at how the races lead up to the Triple Crown and maybe a change is due. For the thoroughbreds as well as their declining legion of remaining fans who devote themselves to the sport even when there is no Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Triple Crown or Arlington Million running; but rather everyday thoroughbred racing which takes place a few times a week at various venues throughout the world...something good and lasting will come of it. Just my two cents on this Sunday afternoon.
Does a horse need to win all three races to win the Triple Crown
Coburn was completely right. It is absolutely ridiculous that this sport allows owners and trainers to cherry-pick Triple Crown races to rest their horses while others gamely slog through every one and end up losing out on the sport's ultimate prize because of it. The winner of the third leg of the Triple Crown was Tonalist, who was far more rested than Chrome after sitting out the Derby and the Preakness. The last anyone saw of Tonalist, he was winning the Peter Pan Stakes right here at Belmont Park on May 10.
How is this fair? Name another sport that allows such foolishness? You either participate in a season, or a series, or you don't. Coburn's barrage after the race was nothing new. He had been talking about a system that is patently unfair all week leading up to the race.
golf for one, I'm sure there are many others, just like there are many cry-baby losers in other sports
Just to clarify...
Christine Brennan, (USA TODAY Sports) is the journalist who authored the piece concerning CC's failure to win the TC and she also raised the question concerning the matter of "fair".
The question I posed (Does a horse need to win all three races to win the Triple Crown) was rhetorical...
Christine Brennan, (USA TODAY Sports) is the journalist who authored the piece concerning CC's failure to win the TC and she also raised the question concerning the matter of "fair".
The question I posed (Does a horse need to win all three races to win the Triple Crown) was rhetorical...
Brennan has an opinion just like many people do. Just because she writes for a newspaper doesn't elevate it.
Co-owner of California Chrome Steve Coburn is way off base on all accounts. He's nothing more than a cry baby sore loser blow-hard. I have no respect for him after this.
No one did anything wrong and none of the owners are "cowards" like he says.
The point system to qualify for the Derby while not perfect was put in place to make sure the 20 best horses get in. Many horse owners dream of running in the Kentucky Derby and that is why so much more interest there as opposed to the Preakness or Belmont Stakes.
Many horses are late to develop or in the case of winner Tonalist, had set-backs and lacked the points necessary to qualify for the Derby. I don't see any reason why such horses should be barred from running for big purse money in Saturday's Belmont Stakes.
Coburn wanted a 3 horse race so his horse could back in so he can say he owned a Triple Crown winner. I find it amazing anyone is taking this guys side on this issue.
From the recent article on Yahoo:
Quote:
Coburn didn't ease off his comments Sunday.
On ABC, he was asked whether he regretted his rant.
"Not only no, but hell no," Coburn answered. "I do not regret it one bit. It's the truth."
He was asked if he thought the rules should change so that horses should have to participate in the other two races to run at Belmont.
"Yes I do, I mean think of it this way. OK, it says Triple Crown. You nominate your horse for the Triple Crown -- that means three. The Triple Crown trophy has three points on it. So when you earn enough points to be in the Kentucky Derby, those 20 horses that start in the Kentucky Derby should be the only 20 allowed to run in the Preakness and the Belmont, for the Triple Crown."
I am not in favor of changing the rules for the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown is hard to win and should be.
As far as some owners "cherry picking" the races, the fact is that none of them will ever win the Triple Crown.
Keep the Triple Crown as it is. There will be another winner some day!
Yeah they won't win it, but they are keeping others from winning it. That's the difference. It's amazing that chrome was as close to winning the belmont as he was, considering he had run the previous two races. Imagine if all those horses around him had also run those two races... we would likely have a triple crown winner right now.
golf for one, I'm sure there are many others, just like there are many cry-baby losers in other sports
Golf isn't anything like the triple crown. The grand slam in a single year is pretty much impossible(it's also 4 events, not 3), only a couple people have done it. Way more then a couple horses have won the triple crown.
To me, the way its currently set up is a joke. The races themselves are cool, big purses and prestige and history n' such, but the triple crown is an absolute joke, considering fresh horses are being entered into the last and longest race of the 3.
We will see another triple crown someday, but its going to take a serious freak of a horse to do it.
Or, they could just spread out the races so that all the horses are properly rested, thereby taking away the advantage of bringing in a rested horse. Even the playing field a bit, like a proper sport should be. Equal out the playing field then let the best competitor win.
Whats bigger, the races themselves or the triple crown as a whole? I thought it was the races because they started well before the term triple crown was used and all three rose to prominence above other races. There is no point to for horses to run for all three races because they were not setup like that in the first place.
Coburn is a sore loser, and should shut his mouth. His comparison of this race with 6-2 b ball player playing against a handicap child is illogical and ignorant. Calling other horses cheaters is classless and he ruined a good day of racing by being acting like a spoiled brat. Get over it, your horse was good, but not good enough to win the triple crown.
Yeah they won't win it, but they are keeping others from winning it. That's the difference. It's amazing that chrome was as close to winning the belmont as he was, considering he had run the previous two races. Imagine if all those horses around him had also run those two races... we would likely have a triple crown winner right now.
Animal abuse.
The winner Tonalist didn't have enough points to get in the Derby because he was getting over a lung infection.
The 2nd place horse Commissioner was a little behind in his development.
3rd place horse Medal Count ran in the Derby but got roughed up. So the owners wanted to give the horse more time to recover and he skipped the Preakness.
All of this talk about California Chrome and the poor loser owner and Tonalist the horse that won (rightfully) but what a heck of a race by the runnerup Commissioner. He lead nearly start to finish in the longest race of the Triple Crown and lost by a foot or so at the finish line, not bad for a 27-1 longshot.
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Ya' think?
