Jerry Bailey would like to see star horses race more
Here is my contribution to our three weeks of Belmont hype - an entire Friday newspaper column about the big race, which will last about 150 seconds.
The main subject was Hall of Fame jockey and ABC analyst Jerry Bailey.
You can read more quotes from him and others if you click below.
What will the TV rating be?
ABC/ESPN exec Len DeLuca declined to guess, but he did say the past two Belmonts were in the three-plus range, and in honor of the fact there is a Triple Crown on the line this time he hopes for about triple that rating.
Jerry Bailey on Rick Dutrow Jr.: "He’s not a role model by any means, but he doesn’t pretend to be."
Bailey on the damage to horse racing from young stars going to stud early in their careers: "It's a huge detriment. Are you kidding? It would be like Tiger Woods retiring after his second year on the Tour."
ABC analyst Randy Moss on that subject: "Obviously in thoroughbred racing right now the cart is pulling the horse in terms of breeding versus racing. If Big Brown wins the Belmont Stakes, I would be surprised if he ever runs again."
Bailey on keeping in mind many casual fans will be watching: "Absolutely, it's a completely different audience than we’ll have a month from now in the Hollywood Gold Cup. But I don’t talk down to anybody. When I met my wife she knew nothing about racing. It's been 23 years she’s involved in it at arm’s length but I still have to explain in lay terms the intricacies of what went on that day. Inherently, it's a hard sport to understand to begin with."
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Comments (2)
I wonder if Don Skwar will think these stories are important enough to cover on tomorrow's Belmont coverage:
a) the owner Big Brown and head of the syndicate has been indicted on charges of securities fraud in his past business life
b) Dutrow has been suspended numerous times for illegally drugging his horses and has admitted to given his horses steroids
Somehow, I think not.
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anita