Sporting Greatness
Eight were inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame on Monday, including recently retired Funny Cide jockey Jose Santos, who got three standing ovations during the ceremony (DRF), and Boston-connected Triple Tiara winner Mom's Command (Herald). With 11 victories in 16 starts, the champion filly's place in the Hall of Fame is well deserved, but Bill Finley raises a good question about future equine honorees in his ESPN column:
It hardly matters. Hall of Fame rules stipulate one horse, one human inductee from each category every year. So, what will future voters do with Horse of the Year Invasor, one of the best racehorses in recent years, retired with an injury after only seven starts outside Uruguay? Or Rags to Riches, who will skip the Alabama to start in the Ruffian or Gazelle this September and then run in the Breeders' Cup (DRF)? She'll almost certainly enter the Hall of Fame on the basis of her historic Belmont win, even if her career ends after two more starts. That'll be a thin thread on which to hang greatness. I suppose this gets at what bothers me about the Breeders' Cup Challenge in its current form: Racing, at least at the elite level, is driven by commercial interests, not competitive ones. "Win and You're In" is an attempt to put a sporting gloss over that reality, doing nothing to change it.
Posted by JC, Aug 7, 2007 09:00 AM
Comments
Posted by J.S., Aug 8, 2007 01:20 AM
Invasor belongs in the Hall of Fame, of course. He is a Triple Crown winner in Uruguay, where the racing is pretty decent, from what I've seen of it (more than I care to admit) and a dominant runner in the United States, from his superb win in the Pimlico Special right up to defeating Bernardini. Rags to Riches, too, belongs in, based on the Belmont win. What about Smarty Jones and Point Given, though? Now, I'm beginning to give pause. I'd also like a full airing of just who are the hallowed keepers that get to vote for this award. It's certainly not the same folks who bestow the Eclipse Awards. Should it be? -- J.S.