Mike Repole Piece
- Thread starter paultzman
- Start date
This was my view when I watched the race, but reading today that neither Angel of Empire's trainer or jockey felt that a disqualification was merited, they clearly know better than me. I was rooting a little for Angel as I bet him in both the Derby & Belmont so my view may have been slanted. A great race nonetheless.
If Angel’s team felt their horse was fouled they could have lodged a Objection , which as I understand it, is different than a Steward’s Inquiry . But , it appears it was determined that Forte did not impede the Results .
As I said before:
Forte, (who I believe was clearly best) repeatedly came out on Angel Of Empire and forced him out several paths. Under the rules of racing (which varies quite a bit from jurisdiction to jurisdiction) that is a foul that is worthy of disqualification.
FYI Thoroughbred Racing has no national rules or policies. FYI Objections are relatively meaningless and many hundreds of Objections are dismissed without a DQ. If, as in this case, there is a stewards inquiry then an objection is gratuitous and completely unnecessary.
The standard that Forte's actions did not impede the results is not applied throughout racing jurisdictions. Additionally that standard is completely subjective. Angel of Empire was pushed out several paths and he lost by a half a length. How did they determine that it did not effect the results? I have seen the Stewards in NY take horses down for far less.
Am I happy that Forte's number stayed up? Absolutely!!! However, I would not argue with anyone who said the Stewards got it wrong here.
Forte, (who I believe was clearly best) repeatedly came out on Angel Of Empire and forced him out several paths. Under the rules of racing (which varies quite a bit from jurisdiction to jurisdiction) that is a foul that is worthy of disqualification.
FYI Thoroughbred Racing has no national rules or policies. FYI Objections are relatively meaningless and many hundreds of Objections are dismissed without a DQ. If, as in this case, there is a stewards inquiry then an objection is gratuitous and completely unnecessary.
The standard that Forte's actions did not impede the results is not applied throughout racing jurisdictions. Additionally that standard is completely subjective. Angel of Empire was pushed out several paths and he lost by a half a length. How did they determine that it did not effect the results? I have seen the Stewards in NY take horses down for far less.
Am I happy that Forte's number stayed up? Absolutely!!! However, I would not argue with anyone who said the Stewards got it wrong here.
For what it is worth, everyone of the talking heads on the NYRA telecast, including former jockeys Richard Migliore and Gary Stevens, thought Forte should have been disqualified. Migliore opined that the NY Stewards do not apply the rules uniformly.
very true and to be fair Rick was lining up guys before he even got the job because he knows how much NIL means now adays and as he told Fr Shanley and I'm relatively sure this is almost an exact quote " I'm not coming here to lose "
Good. Obviously his involvement is a huge positive but we don't want the majority of our NIL funds tied to one person.
What i have said all along. Unfortunate, because he has the capacity to fund NIL in a way that would make us super elite but he always had limits on what he donated here. Hoping it will be different this time.
Was that even pre-Anderson? Just wondering
Alumni Hall
Well-known member
Travers Day. Good field. Track is listed as muddy, expected to be upgraded by first post but on/off showers are expected there all day.
We just saw this years future 2yo champ run and possibly next years Derby favorite crush the field in Repole's new colt Fierceness FTO yesterday.
Replies Nest came up short in the Personal Ensign taking 3rd also Friday. Forte ML fav has post 1 in the Travers. Will be tough going IMO from that inside post and never shows early speed. Needs to have a dream trip under Irad and must move forward a notch to beat this field. Good luck Mike and all playing today.
We just saw this years future 2yo champ run and possibly next years Derby favorite crush the field in Repole's new colt Fierceness FTO yesterday.
Replies Nest came up short in the Personal Ensign taking 3rd also Friday. Forte ML fav has post 1 in the Travers. Will be tough going IMO from that inside post and never shows early speed. Needs to have a dream trip under Irad and must move forward a notch to beat this field. Good luck Mike and all playing today.
He supported sju before the anderson hire but went into hiding after wfan rant. His upport was substantial but never came close to the level of support provided by Tafner, Belson, D'Angelo, Collins, Janetschek and a host of others he insulted. Those people have done it without fanfare. But he was the loudest.
The good news is this time around is i understand is quietly. supporting NIL . Actually this is great news if we are going to keep pace in the NIL wars.
Forte to win, Scotland runs a nice second
Alumni Hall
Well-known member
Repole Stable on fire 
today so far. Has a first out winner Sushi Sticks last night at Santa Anita, then Self Sufficient wins first time out at Gulfstream, then his 2 yo Noted colt wins the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park. Let's GO FORTE 
today so far. Has a first out winner Sushi Sticks last night at Santa Anita, then Self Sufficient wins first time out at Gulfstream, then his 2 yo Noted colt wins the Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park. Let's GO FORTE Bad result at Travers as Forte no factor with win going to Arcangelo
Arcangelo's performance was a really great story. His little known female trainer Jena Antonucci did a masterful job in preparing this horse to follow up his Belmont win with this victory in the Travers. It shows that there are many talented horse people who do great work in relative obscurity.
Sadly, this story was very much obscured by the deaths of two more thoroughbreds on the track yesterday. The second of these tragic incidents happened in the Grade One H. Allen Jerkens Memorial when the undefeated New York Thunder was on the lead and pulling away in the stretch (on his way to a certain victory) when his leg horrifically snapped in two. I have been going to the races for fifty years and have watched hundreds of thousands of races and can not remember a more visually horrific breakdown of a horse. It was absolutely brutal to see.
On Saratoga's two biggest days; Whitney Day August 5th and Travers Day yesterday, there were two high profile breakdowns of undefeated horses in Grade One Stakes races. On Whitney Day, in the Grade One Test, undefeated Maple Leaf Mel was on the lead, pulling away to victory when she broke down right before the wire. Yesterday it was the undefeated New York Thunder breaking down in mid-stretch. Both of these incidents, that happened right in front of a packed grandstand, puts a spotlight on the worst of Thoroughbred racing and gives strength to the arguments by the sport's harshest critics who have been clamoring to ban the sport entirely.
I love Thoroughbred racing and it has been a lifelong passion for me. That said, the lack of soundness of the modern day Thoroughbred needs to be looked at and actions need to be taken if the sport is to survive. There have always been some breakdowns of horses on the track, but over the last several seasons the amount of tragedies has quantum leaped. This trend needs to be reversed as soon as possible, because anything else is unacceptable.
Sadly, this story was very much obscured by the deaths of two more thoroughbreds on the track yesterday. The second of these tragic incidents happened in the Grade One H. Allen Jerkens Memorial when the undefeated New York Thunder was on the lead and pulling away in the stretch (on his way to a certain victory) when his leg horrifically snapped in two. I have been going to the races for fifty years and have watched hundreds of thousands of races and can not remember a more visually horrific breakdown of a horse. It was absolutely brutal to see.
On Saratoga's two biggest days; Whitney Day August 5th and Travers Day yesterday, there were two high profile breakdowns of undefeated horses in Grade One Stakes races. On Whitney Day, in the Grade One Test, undefeated Maple Leaf Mel was on the lead, pulling away to victory when she broke down right before the wire. Yesterday it was the undefeated New York Thunder breaking down in mid-stretch. Both of these incidents, that happened right in front of a packed grandstand, puts a spotlight on the worst of Thoroughbred racing and gives strength to the arguments by the sport's harshest critics who have been clamoring to ban the sport entirely.
I love Thoroughbred racing and it has been a lifelong passion for me. That said, the lack of soundness of the modern day Thoroughbred needs to be looked at and actions need to be taken if the sport is to survive. There have always been some breakdowns of horses on the track, but over the last several seasons the amount of tragedies has quantum leaped. This trend needs to be reversed as soon as possible, because anything else is unacceptable.
Alumni Hall
Well-known member
Along with yesterday's 2 deaths, there was another one on the Oklahoma training track and Baffert lost a 2yo at Del Mar yesterday. Racing is in a bad place right now.