Harness: Post-race statements should be taken with a grain of salt

Sometimes amid the hype of racing it’s hard to quite put things into perspective. Perhaps it’s human nature that we all want to witness greatness. From a publicity standpoint, building to a great matchup or a great race with stars to match is the best this sport can offer.

When things don’t quite go as planned and a race such as last week’s Canadian Pacing Derby don’t come off quite as some had expected, there is a rush to find out just what went wrong, as if that’s even necessary.

Yet in today’s social media it is vital to get the word out first and most definitely explain in your own language what just happened.

I have tried over the course of my career in this sport to believe my eyes first and foremost. Racing’s characters have had stories to tell for generations and most of them have not benefited my perspective or my bank account. This is not to say that the information wasn’t true or that those re-telling the tales didn’t have their best interests at heart, it’s just to say that the information clouded a picture that was crystal clear in my vision.

I didn’t find it all that surprising to see McWicked blow by Lazarus in the Canadian Pacing Derby. What had happened to McWicked in their first encounter was that he had gotten lost in the pack and allowed his rival to go unchecked the entire mile. This past Saturday David Miller wasn’t going to be a spectator and instead became an antagonist to the hype and fanfare of the Down Under champion. The fractions were slow for this class and that worked in McWicked’s favor, as he’s been known to sprint as fast or faster than most horses for a quarter mile.

While McWicked’s trainer was able to tell her story following the race and explain why her horse had not performed up to expectations after recently recovering from a quarter crack, some time needed to pass before it was revealed that champion Lazarus had an elevated white-blood count when his blood was tested after the race.

To be honest I could have done without either trainer’s post-race input and just allowed the pictures witnessed leave the evaluation firm in my mind. While it’s easy to get carried away with the hype and certainly Lazarus’s arrival had plenty of it, I for one would rather look at the larger picture and that includes the Open pacing division.

Timing has always been a key factor in this sport and Lazarus’s connections could not have picked a finer time to show up in North America. While his trainer Jimmy Takter is putting the finishing touches on his Hall of Fame career, there’s no doubt in my mind that whatever he succeeds in doing with Lazarus will ever compare with his accomplishments with Always B Miki.

In simple terms, there is just no way for Lazarus to find the type of competition Always B Miki had to deal with regularly to be put in that class. What stuck out more blatantly to me with Saturday’s contest and the first one Lazarus had at Hoosier Park was the inability of any to firmly challenge for the lead or to force more than a moderate pace. For those with short memories, it seemed as if every race that Always B Miki appeared in had three-quarter fractions at or below 1:20. In essence we are living in two different worlds or eras and this one, whether we care to recognize it or not, lacks depth.

On the program it shows that Lazarus has lost races in the past, so it shouldn’t come as a total shock to anyone that he lost his first race in Canada. He’s only had two competitive races in North America thus far and on both occasions he was put on the front end by Yannick Gingras, who clearly recognizes where you need to be in races held on this continent.

It’s impossible to say whether a 100 percent healthy Lazarus would have beaten a 100 percent healthy McWicked this past Saturday. Hopefully they will meet again when both bring their “A” games and the winner will not be brought down a notch by the ineffectiveness of his rival.

Two weeks ago when Hambletonian Oaks winner Manchego was allowed to waltz around the track unchallenged by Hambletonian winner Atlanta there was hardly a whisper afterwards. While I never had a chance to check the vet statements, my eyes told me that Manchego was out to win the Casual Breeze and Scott Zeron and Atlanta were let’s say looking for a more casual breeze. Zeron’s willingness to not just end up in the three-hole after the first quarter but to remain there as the pace slowed to a crawl seemed in direct contrast to his blistering approach with Atlanta on two occasions on Hambletonian Day.

Perhaps it was that passive strategy that left little to be said afterwards.

Sometimes when I hear these post-race explanations I get the feeling as if the participants don’t recognize that people are actually wagering on the races.

I’ve never been a fan of uncoupling horses from the same stable and it was extremely hard to swallow the performance of 1-10 favorite Thinkbig Dreambig in a division of the Kentucky Sire Stakes at The Red Mile on August 19. It was just eight days after the sophomore had won the Milstein at Northfield in 1:50 over a stellar field that he appeared a sure thing at The Red Mile. Driver Jordan Stratton looked to be making the winning move brushing to the front in the second quarter when he suddenly elected to slow down as if he’d just seen the police car’s radar out of the corner of his eye. In fact what Stratton must have seen was the presence of Thinkbig Dreambig’s trainer Jimmy Takter sitting on the lead behind Grand Teton. Suddenly, after the first two quarters were paced in identical 27 4/5 clockings, Stratton became a bystander and hit the brakes to the tune of 29 2/5 third quarter allowing Grand Teton to save enough and win in a 26-second final quarter.

If there’s going to be post race commentary, perhaps refunds are in order for those that didn’t get their money’s worth.