Zoning In looks to have the tactical speed to either go gate to wire to sit just off the pace and pounce in the stretch today in the featured Graduation Stakes at Del Mar. It doesn’t hurt that Alex Solis, who should be in the Hall of Fame, is riding.
Boy, did somebody drop the ball there or what? Why on earth was Solis not voted into the Hall of Fame in May. Or Glendora’s own Mel Stute for that matter. Why wasn’t Stute, the all-time winner at Fairplex Park who has trained Breeders’ Cup and Triple Crown winners, ignored?
Good question. Perhaps it an east coast, west coast thing?
In my opinion there is definetly an East Coast bias. Not just in horse racing, but in every aspect of sports coverage.
The old saying, “Follow the money,” seems to apply. And there is a lot of money back east where the “big” columnist and beat writers hang their hats.
I can only hope Alex Solis gets the recognition he deserves. I get chills thinking about the two times I watched Alex and Megahertz mow the field down at Santa Anita for her last two victories.
And how about Corey Nakatani? Dumped and injured in Hollywood Park when Bear In The Woods breaks down. Then he rides Aragorn to a track record at Del Mar. I hope he keeps it going.
One last thought. Ever since my wife and I dumped “that other paper” for the Whittier Daily News, I always look forward to your column. It is a pleasure to read your stories. You can tell you love horse racing, from the backside to the finish line.
Look forward racing posts in the future.
I’m not discounting the possibility of an East Coast bias at all, though I’d like to think that the turf writers on the East Coast are unbiassed enough to recognize a Hall of Fame rider — Solis — and trainer — Mel Stute — when they have the opportunity to do so.
Thanks for your kind words, Kirk! It’s easy to love a sport that’s so great. Just wish more industry officials would pull their heads out and work together to take care of what ails the sport right now.
Hmmm … What ails the sport right now? I think you can look at Santa Anita and Frank Stronich. The way he alienates the race fans with his HRTV (what a joke) and not allowing TVG fans to watch and wager.
DelMar,
My thoughts precisely. At a time when the horse racing industry needs everyone pulling on the same end of the rope, we still have different factions that are looking out more for themselves than the sport itself.
We need horse racing on TV for ALL the country to see, not pick and choose because somebody doesn’t like the deal they are getting.