Heat was the story of week four at Saratoga – heat in the air, heat on the track and heat in the comments regarding decisions made in the stewards’ booth.
First on the track – Life Is Good won the Whitney by blazing out of the gate from his outside post position under jockey Irad Ortiz and left his opponents gasping as they chased him flutily around the oval. The anticipated speed duel with third choice, Hot Rod Charlie, never materialized and heat on the front end was the way to victory for the speedy colt. Life Is Good’s win at a mile and an eighth in his usual front running style gives his connections options when it comes to the Breeders’ Cup, and they will have to decide whether to opt for the Breeders’ Cup Mile or seek a lucrative and prestigious Breeders’ Cup Classic win going the extended distance of a mile and one-quarter.
The race generated a different type of heat in racing circles and in the media with a hot debate afterwards on the riding tactics of winning rider Irad Ortiz. Ortiz angled in sharply when he saw a competitor ranging up to challenge his mount from the inside. When John Velazquez responded by angling out for a clear path home many saw Ortiz’s action as aggressive and dangerous and expected a stewards’ review. In interviews John Velazquez was adamant that Ortiz was in the clear and the action was not dangerous thus claiming foul was not warranted. The fact that both the winner and the runner up were trained by Todd Pletcher left many bettors and observers questioning whether a claim of foul was suppressed due to loyalty. The issue was awkwardly handled on national stage by NBC commentators, including former rider Jerry Bailey, who suggested that Ortiz either did not know it was his stablemate he was angling to intimidate or that the rider of the runner up did not want to anger a loyal client by claiming foul. Either way the fans and bettors were left with the impression that whether something is a foul depends upon the actors not the act - not a good look.
The heat on the stewards has increased due to perceptions of inconsistency. The week at Saratoga was punctuated by a disqualification on Friday for a minor bump among competitors while numerous other similar or more egregious claims of foul during the week were disallowed. Sunday saw a long inquiry without any public explanation or replay resulting in a disqualification of a runner for “leaving the starting gate too early.” Many wondered why the horse was not declared a non-starter providing refunds to bettors as has been done previously in similar cases.
When you combine these seeming inconsistencies with a lack of transparency regarding rider suspensions and/or warnings the fans/bettors are often left bewildered. Ask any experienced horseman, analyst, bettor, fan or observer what constitutes a foul warranting a disqualification and the current answer is almost uniformly an exasperated “I don’t know anymore.” Disqualification rulings of the past were so consistent that experienced observers would place impromptu wagers in the crowd with less sophisticated fans about whether a foul claim would be sustained or not – they were rarely, if ever, wrong.
Tolerance for rough riding tends to act like a pendulum. Currently, in New York at least, it has swung to leniency, particularly for herding. Until this type of riding causes a spill injuring human and/or equine athletes, the authorities seem willing to countenance it – which begs the question “why wait until it happens?”
The job of the stewards is not an easy one as they seek to be fair to their varied constituencies. This difficulty is heightened, in part, by continuing to use a 19th Century model in 2022. With the advent of television replay reviews in all major sports, racing now stands alone in having such decisions made on-site by named individuals under local rules, as opposed to a central authority far removed from the players applying uniform standards. Racing will be better served when/if it adopts the more modern approach employed by other sports.
Heat – as in weather – was also center stage last week as the temperature routinely approached or topped ninety degrees most days.
Thankfully, the New York Racing Association has recently taken effective steps in providing air conditioned, shaded and cool areas around the grounds. The new Paddock Bar is significantly cooler and more open for fans than the previous paddock bar tent, including new shaded areas added nearby. Those upstairs in the suite area can experience an outside breeze or inside air conditioning. Similarly, horseman can get a respite from the heat in the stately Carmen Berrera Horseman’s Lounge and loyal NYRABETS customers can take cooling refuge in the cozy confines of the newly dedicated Curlin Café – certainly a welcome addition. However, the largest area where comfort has been enhanced is the Clubhouse Reserved Section from Section B towards the upper stretch which has seen new giant overhead fans replace the century-old prior fans, quietly providing a natural cool environment in the reserved seats even on the hottest of days. Rarely has an improvement of any kind proved as needed and effective. Bravo.
