Repole Tell's it Like it Is

[TJ]

Interesting interview with Repole concerning Uncle Mo's physical condition, disclosure and the slant the media coverage has put on it. I tend to agree with what he has to say....but in so saying, the pressure is on Uncle Mo and his connections to live up to what he said and to prove that last race was just a hiccup and he will return to the form he showed as 2YO champion in the upcoming Kentucky Derby? TJ

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing ... osure.aspx

[zinn21]

He's an honest guy with integrity. I am rooting for him. One of these Indian Charlie's is going to win the Derby. It might as well be Mo.

[bdw0617]

I could care less about him on the derby trail. There is a difference between playing stallion and triple crown politics and lying to the wagering public.

You guys want to know what is wrong with the horse racing industry? Look at this picture.. an owner of a 1/9 shot in a grade 1 race, then after the race the wagering public finds out the horse could have possibly had shin problems or whatever the case, and you have pletcher saying all week he s getting back to his old self implying that he knew he was not right in the wood memorial.. oh, but keep wagering... err guessing!



and then some of you have the nerve to wonder why i'm so pessimistic when it comes to wagering.

If you want people to wager on an event, you have the responsibility to make sure that the person wagering has all the information regarding the horses in the race, and let the person wagering decide what is and is not important. Over the years and countless hours of practice, I have developed a pretty good nose for when something "ain't right".; it might not be "horse politically correct" but it saves me a crap load of money and until we have full disclosure it will have to do.

You think if those mo pics would have surfaced before the wood he would have gone off at THAT short a price?

this gets under my skin like no other. The last person who ever gets considered in anything anymore is the person who we are supposed to be attracting. The rules should ALL revolve around 1. keeping the horses as safe as possible and 2. providing the most honest and forthright environment for the bettor as possible not protecting a possible stallion syndication deal or making it easier for trainers to spot a bad horse to pass on in the claiming box.

[Sysonby]

I agree with Repole too and I feel his frustration. The elephant in the room regarding this discussion is that you could have "full disclosure" (whatever that really means) but, as seen by the I Want Revenge vet records, there is a real question whether the people you are disclosing to could process the information correctly.

Every horse has some little problem and a big part of training is managing those problems. The claiming issue is a valid one too and having horses for sale is not limited to racehorses. Why don't we ask the horse dealers and the show people on the site if they would want to let the world know about every little problem one of their horses had?

[bdw0617]

I agree with Repole too and I feel his frustration. The elephant in the room regarding this discussion is that you could have "full disclosure" (whatever that really means) but, as seen by the I Want Revenge vet records, there is a real question whether the people you are disclosing to could process the information correctly.

Every horse has some little problem and a big part of training is managing those problems. The claiming issue is a valid one too and having horses for sale is not limited to racehorses. Why don't we ask the horse dealers and the show people on the site if they would want to let the world know about every little problem one of their horses had?

First, it's pretty high nosed to suggest that you are the only person that has the ability to process information. Secondly, that's for the bettor to decide what is and what is not important. But they have to have the information in the first place to do that.



Every sport in America gets this except (not surprisingly)" horse racing. The NFL demands that each team report which players are injured every week. the NBA does the same thing. You think they do this to give the other team a fair advantage lol? they do it because of vegas. They, unlike us, understand that wagering on their event, is a big big part of the gig. If I know Andrain peterson has a tweaked hamstring, that could be the difference between me taking the over or the under in a wager.

I remember last year after we lost to auburn, coach peterino tried to keep it a secret but he couldn't, our best WR and our best Cornerback was hurt. When the information hit the wire, the line went from almost 9 to basically a pick em game in 2 days. We ended up winning by 7 points and, childs, our WR didn't do a damn thing all game long.

what if that injury report never came out, everyone who would have taken the over at 9, which at the time was a good line, would have gotten jipped.

[da hossman]

OK bdw, let's talk about full disclosure. Everybody knew Kobe Bryant had a severe ankle sprain going into last night's game v. the Hornets. ESPN had replayed the video of the ankle turning ad infinitum, fellow players were interviewed talking about how bad his ankles have been for a long time, etc. Bryant refused radiographs and an MRI suggested by the Lakers team doctor. I am sure the sports books changed their odds/point spreads accordingly, and I am sure bettors made their wagers with Kobe's condition in mind.

So what happened? Kobe has a great game and the Lakers win. The point is, if human athletes' performances are unpredictable, how can anyone know for sure how a non-English speaking horse will perform? Hell that is why it is a bet, there is uncertainty involved.

Horsemen will tell you, if you wait till you are absolutely sure about a horse, you may never run him. I guarantee you Pletcher & Repole did not defraud the betting public - they ran Mo thinking he would win the Wood. As far as I know, every horse entered in a Derby prep is entered with the belief that he could win - granted some have almost no chance, but there is never absolutely no chance of a horse winning.

Years ago John Galbreath (Darby Dan Farm) had a horse he wanted to run in the Derby. His trainer told him "we got no chance" to which Mr. Galbreath responded "why not? The others may all fall down." The horse was Proud Clairion, and yes he did win the Derby.

[TJ]

I could care less about him on the derby trail. There is a difference between playing stallion and triple crown politics and lying to the wagering public.

You guys want to know what is wrong with the horse racing industry? Look at this picture.. an owner of a 1/9 shot in a grade 1 race, then after the race the wagering public finds out the horse could have possibly had shin problems or whatever the case, and you have pletcher saying all week he s getting back to his old self implying that he knew he was not right in the wood memorial.. oh, but keep wagering... err guessing!



and then some of you have the nerve to wonder why i'm so pessimistic when it comes to wagering.

If you want people to wager on an event, you have the responsibility to make sure that the person wagering has all the information regarding the horses in the race, and let the person wagering decide what is and is not important. Over the years and countless hours of practice, I have developed a pretty good nose for when something "ain't right".; it might not be "horse politically correct" but it saves me a crap load of money and until we have full disclosure it will have to do.

You think if those mo pics would have surfaced before the wood he would have gone off at THAT short a price?

this gets under my skin like no other. The last person who ever gets considered in anything anymore is the person who we are supposed to be attracting. The rules should ALL revolve around 1. keeping the horses as safe as possible and 2. providing the most honest and forthright environment for the bettor as possible not protecting a possible stallion syndication deal or making it easier for trainers to spot a bad horse to pass on in the claiming box.

Hi bdw,
First off Repole brings up your charges concerning stallion and TC politics as well as lying to the public....which is simply your opinion....they have disclosed more to the public then they should have, that's how these rumors get started and then escalate out of control when the average reporter or gambler know's just enough to get themselves in trouble or go off on the wrong bandwagon. If Mo bucked his shins....so what... at 2 years of age a very high percentage of them do.....and if they decided to pin fire him, that was on the advice of one of the top Vet's in the business.....you would not believe the number of young horses with shin problems that are still pin fired every year....it's a basic ailmant and a basic treatment.....and I'm sure many of the horses you may have won a bet on were pin fired. If you, as a gambler think his connections are defrauding you and the wagers you place on their horses ....simply use your discretion in such cases and pass the race and don't bet any of their horses. You are a gambler and as such have never seen what goes on with these athletes to keep them 100% for their races. You seem to think you know what it's all about.....but the most important thing you have to understand is when to bet and when to pass.....with your skepticism....you should give up the gambling end of the business and become an owner.....this way you will have the "inside information and disclosure" you think is being withheld from you as a gambler. You will realize one thing.....this knowledge adds to the confusion of handicapping.....and you will also realize how much work is done to horses as they grow from 2 to 3 years of age and older.....Ankles and hocks flaring up, curbs, bog spavin's, wind puffs, bucked shins, popped splints, flipped palates, bleeding, ulcer's, colic.....these are the basics....then it gets worse after that. Many of these ailments are seen in horses as they mature.....it's good vets and trainer's that are responsible for ever getting them into a race to begin with......there are procedures to follow for all these ailments and under proper treatment these horses all make it to the races and win. It's the nature of the business and it is up to the connections to bring them over there as good as they can be on race day. There is a big gap between the black and white you see on paper and the flesh and blood of each individual horse. It is their caretaker's that turn them into race horses....there has never been a sound horse that could run.....an animal that big, running that fast on their fragile underpinning....it's a wonder any get to the races. You should be grateful knowing they get the best available care money can buy in order for you to bet your money on them. Some of the worst owner's I have ever had were gambling owner's....they were in it for one thing, money.....their horses would run a great race and they would cry because he didn't win. TJ

[majxmom]

I really like Repole, think he's a breath of fresh air for racing, and would like him to win. I would also like to know why Mo's knee is shaved. IMHO, the crop of 2008 is such a mediocre crop that I think Mo can probably win on the heel injury...but that shaved patch sure makes it hard to bet.

[Whirlaway]

Interesting read . . .

I found these sentences particularly interesting: "You start to get into territory that I don’t think the sport wants to get into. Every horse has some sort of issue. The bottom line is that you have to trust the owner, the trainer, and the [veterinarian] to put a safe horse on the racetrack."


Yea right, we trust you.

Explain to us will you please the tricky Dick situation, the syringes in the desk and countless rule violations - how can it be his horses are still running? The Biancone cobra venom and whatever happened to I Want Revenge - we did get a glimpse of his vet bill. Of course there are countless other liars, cheaters and rule violators . . . we trust you? Come on!

[da hossman]

Hi Whirlaway -

The Tricky Ricky, the Biancone snake venom, the "I'm going to clean up racing" owner that then uses Asmussen -I agree, we need to get rid of these bad elements. The "absolute insuror" rule was written long ago and protects only owners, not the general public - and the way it is currently enforced it does not even punish the "absolute insurors" themselves, the trainers. If a trainer is suspended but is allowed to train his horses via the phone with his assistant, or from the backyard of a rental house adjacent to the training track, it has not really suspended him.

The rule needs to be given teeth by penalizing the owners - how about any trainer that is suspended has all the horses in his care suspended from racing for 30 days? That should shake some trees.

Although their effort was unsuccessful, the recent KHRC decison not grant a license to Rick Dutrow was a bold step in the right direction. Fortunately for all of us the US has something called "due process" which in this case allowed those horses to race in the name of another trainer. However I think the action showed a determination on the part of the KHRC to change past practices, and hopefully they will continue this effort so that the next time their decision is irreversible.

If the people that pay the bills risk no consequences for the actions of their trainer, there is no incentive for all the people that pay the bills to clean up racing.

[ct2346]

Every sport in America gets this except (not surprisingly)" horse racing. The NFL demands that each team report which players are injured every week. the NBA does the same thing.

What a crock. Every NFL coach manipulates the injury list every week - concealing, downplaying, overplaying. "Interesting" thought might be that when the NFL doctor talks to the player, the player talks back. When the vet talks to the horse...hmmm....