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STAN ISAACS Out of Left Field |
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NBC's handling of this crucial race
was skilled--and so was Stevens'
By
STAN ISAACS
of TheColumnists.com
AND
NOW it comes out why Bob Baffert, the wise-cracking Californian
who is usually front and center with a quip for the public, made
himself scarce after the Kentucky Derby: Baffert thought jockey
Gary Stevens did not give Point Given a good ride. He felt the
jockey had been too close to a fast early pace, leaving the horse
without any punch at the end.
It is a cliché in racing for losers to blame the jockey.
I have stood next to many trainers watching their horses lose
and heard the trainers curse the jocks for making a move too
soon or too late. Baffert obviously felt this way about Stevens'
ride in the Derby, but made himself scarce because he didn't
want to fall into the "rap-the-jockey" cliché.
In the Preakness on Saturday (May 19) Stevens did not move too
early. Point Given came on with a big move approaching the final
turn, picked off horses one by one, and took the lead as the
leaders pounded into the stretch. In the post-race analysis Stevens
admitted that he had probably made a mistake in the Derby. Baffert
said as much in the pre-race talk and Stevens agreed, saying
that the owner, too, had wished he had not moved so early at
Churchill Downs.
So Stevens' ride was a key aspect of this 126th Preakness and
NBC underscored that with the final image of its telecast: Stevens
kissing the Woodlawn Trophy that goes to the winner, a bauble
that an overenthusiastic Baltimore maiden called "the most
valuable trophy in American sports." (What would Lord Stanley
of hockey eminence have said about that?)
Monarchos, who looked so powerful winning the Derby in near-record
time, got off to a terrible start and never challenged seriously.
Seeing him so far back in last place early in the race conjured
up images of a California horse of long ago named Silky Sullivan.
Silky was known for being a city block or more behind on the
backstretch and then launching a tremendous move. More often
than not, he didn't win, but he thirlled spectators and won their
hearts with his closing rushes.
Stymie, another beloved horse, was also known for pulsating late
charges--"Here comes Stymie" was the cry as he ate
up horses in the stretch--and he won much more than Silky Sullivan
did.
NBC, which took over Triple Crown coverage from ABC this year
without missing a beat, put together some excellent work. The
feature on Monarchos' jockey Jorge Chavez probably was revealing
to most non-racing fans. His family broke up and he roamed the
streets of Peru as a youth before he became a jockey there and
eventually made it to the United States. Trainer John Ward said
Chavez told him, "Boss, don't worry; I get it done."
He didn't. Early on in his career his whipping earned him the
nickname "Chop Chop." The racing people said he doesn't
whip now the way he once did, but it certainly looked as if he
was trying some vigorous communication, however vainly, with
Monarchos in the late stages.
NBC improved considerably on ABC in the way it shot the race.
Instead of the constant cuts in camera angles with which ABC
confused viewers trying to spot their horses in the early going--Triple
Crown and Breeders Cup races attract people who might have a
longshot in an office pool or whatever--NBC made only six cuts
in the entire race, and didn't change camera angles until the
horses started their run into their backstretch. This gave viewers
a chance to locate whatever horse they were rooting for.
Producer David Michaels is a good man to be in charge of NBC
racing. Credit his mother. As youths in Southern California Michaels
and his famous announcer brother, Al, used to get absentee notes
to their teachers written by their mother so she could take them
to the racetrack.
NBC was right on top of one of the most important aspects of
a race, something purists tend to forget about: the odds. Point
Given was the 2-1 favorite throughout the early and late betting.
Monarchos attracted enough late money to be a close second favorite
as the race approached.
The race pretty much followed the pattern predicted by many of
the handicappers, though the majority had the wrong horse winning.
The Racing Form, the sports' bible, had 19 worthies experting
it up. The consensus was that there would not be a killing pace
early in the Preakness as there was in the Derby. Seven picked
Congaree to win, seven chose Monarchos, four picked Point Given
and one chose AP Valentine, which came up to catch Congaree for
second at the finish.
In retrospect, NBC displayed a significant statistic in the pre-race
scene-setting. With Point Given starting from the outside post,
it was pertinent to note that in 57 previous Preaknesses, only
one horse had won from the outside, six finished second, six
finished third and 44 ran out of the money.
Many cynics mock the fact that television spends more than an
hour-and-a-half for an event that takes less than two minutes.
The aficionados tend to enjoy the scene-setting--the pastoral
beauty shots of horses on Kentucky farms, working out in the
morning and the color and splash of racing. NBC is particularly
good in showing the resplendent jockeys posing for a group shot
and, one-by-one, making their way to the paddock.
It is also illuminating to watch the post-race reruns embellished
by slow motion of key happenings. We saw the entire trips of
Point Given and the disappointing Monarchos with commentary by
their respective jockeys. Poor Chavez. The one-time Peruvian
street urchin said in broken English, "My horse don't handle
the track. He was fighting with the track…My horse don't
help me."
On this day, boss, Jorge didn't get the job done. Gary Stevens
did. If the horses stay healthy, they'll have another chance
at each other in the vaunted Belmont Stakes on June 9.
© 2001 by Stan Isaacs.
You can comment on this column or contact Stan Isaacs with an email to: talkback@thecolumnists.com
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