Howard Hamilton - HORSE SENSE A FEW TIMES a race horse comes along that appears to be a phenomenon. The media jumps on the latest great horse as the tonic the industry has needed.
Those who saw the scintillating display of DISTINCTLY IRISH in the Derby were convinced that he would be a "shoo in" in the St. Leger and so accomplish what his mother and his brother were unable to do.
History has a sorry way of repeating itself and again, as was the case last year, a neck separated the winner from the glory of a Triple Crown victory. The eventual winner - RUN PAPA RUN - ran a remarkable race, improving his performance by more than the 23 lengths he was beaten by in the Derby and running a time some 3 seconds faster than he had done in the Governor's Cup with much less than the 57 kilos he carried in the St. Leger.
All credit to trainer Dennis Lee who presented his horse in spectacular condition. All credit also to Jockey Trevor Simpson who rode a tactically superb race. He led from the start and kept his horse two wide off the inside rail while the rider on Distinctly Irish remained on the heavier going inside position.
Many reasons have been suggested as to why Distinctly Irish lost in his quest to create history and join that band of outstanding Triple Crown winners. What is certain is that Triple Crown winners, not only have to be great horses, they must avoid impetuous training regiments, Jockey error, and quirky, unlucky twists of fate.
It also helps if there is not Herecomesfudgie, Run Papa Run or no closely matched rival in the field - as we all thought after the Derby performance. There is only one way to win horse racing's Triple Crown but many ways to lose it. I am grateful to Robert Fox, the recent guest speaker at the Hall of Fame function, for sharing with me some 54 reasons why people think their horse has lost.
I have heard so many excuses made to explain why horses lose races. I will share some of them with you:
The weight was too much
He drew a bad post position
The early pace was too much
The Jockey did not rate him
He was too close to the early pace
The Jockey moved too soon
The Jockey moved too late.
He was too deep on the rail.
The track was too deep
He isn't the horse he was earlier.
He just didn't run his race.
He should have gone to the lead
He spit out the bit.
The saddle slipped
He lost a shoe
The Jockey lost his irons.
The Jockey hit him left handed.
The Jockey should not have hit him
He needed a stronger hand ride.
His sire was only a sprinter
He left his race on the training track
He needs a rest.
And so on and on the excuses roll on. No one ever reflects that the horse got beaten by a better horse on that day.
I will make no excuses for Distinctly Irish he got beaten by a better horse on that day. Now we will, lick our wounds, take a rest and prepare for his next big race, the Superstakes. We shall now see whether the accolades showered earlier are really deserving and the public excitement has not been misplaced.
Howard L. Hamilton, C.D., J.P. is a former Chairman of Caymanas Track Limited and is the current President of Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association. He can be contacted at howham@cwjamaica.com.
