SteveBortstein

And for the record, neither is Hero Of Order, but we see horses all the time run in races that aren't that good. If by some act of magic you called attention to what you call a "disgusting" ride, then thats fabulous. I watched the race several times yesterday and saw nothing out of the ordinary at all.

no Dani, I got your point completely. I'm just choosing to ignore the whole notion that any of this disparity about Hansen's effort yesterday has ANYTHING TO DO at all with his blue tail. It has to do with the fact that he's simply not that good. I couldnt care less about Hero Of Order's ride. If he was ridden to instruction, then kudos to the rider for doing his job. As much as we all obviously hope that the horses all come back fine, I wont presume to have the intelligence to know what a horse can or cannot handle. Your assumption that this is all about some pre-conceived anger about Hansen, or his connections, is merely fodder for you. Hansen's not that good, period.

(My apologies.... I sent my reply before it was finished) I've made it very well known in write-ups, on radio and with people I talk to on a regular basis. I dont care for the connections, the hype surrounding this horse, nor for his connections who have very clearly made it all about them, as opposed to the horse itself. What I find interesting is no one from the Hansen camp, with the exception of the obligatory "Oh well, we got pressure, it just wasnt our day" comment from Mike Smith. The Hansen people aren't bemoaning a ride, a tactic, anything. And as far as the fractions taking a toll, I dont buy it. There was only one other main track route race run that day, and the fractions were there were nearly 5 lengths faster fractionally than the ones Hansen was running against, and that front runner (Tapizar) drew off to win by daylight. Isnt it possible that Hansen has been nothing more than an overhyped wonder? Blue tail or no blue tail.

at Buckpasser, good points all around, but in mentioning the NBA and NHL finals, you're categorizing them in with the Derby, which is NOT a championship event, it doesnt automatically determine a champion and it is NOT the end of a season. It would be like suggesting the Daytona 500, or the Masters, or Wimbledon are the championship events each year in their respective sports with no more competition in those sports each year, which is obviously not the case. I agree with the idea of coordinating national events surrounding the Derby, but that would be something organized by a national governing body, which we in the sport do not have.

After some more review of the material obtained for this story, I'll await another, more reputable source of information regarding this story. A check on the "New York Observer" doesnt exactly allude to it as a "newspaper or magazine of record."

Perhaps it will come down to two seperate races... 3-year-old fillies on both turf and dirt to decide the title, and while I dont mean to remind Joe that there is a WEST coast of the country, maybe a developing filliy like NEREID, CAMBINA (deadheated in the American Oaks), or UP IN TIME, all of whom have a Grade 1 or Grade 2 win on the turf this year and are all in action this weekend in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, would add another name to the mix. Four of the last 12 3-year-old Eclipse Award-winning sophomore fillies came from California-based connections, so let's see what plays out. I just like to be a spoke in the wheel, so I thought I'd toss that in!

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!!!!!!