Master of Puppets

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."
-Verbal Kint (The Usual Suspects)

Maybe we, and by we I mean I, have been going about this all wrong. Maybe the NTRA isn't the Leviathan of our game and is only a patsy on a string.

Now, the NTRA is not blameless and their message proves about as effective and coherent as the proverbial primate with an Underwood, the infinite monkey theorem notwithstanding; they have no authority and Alex Waldrop plays the role of Major "King" Kong to perfection.

Having said that, one should look deeper within the seamy underbelly, maybe in the sub-cockle region, to find the dark force guiding our sport into the abyss of irrelevance.

I did a cursory look at the number of GI races carded this year and the disproportionate weight they carry in the stakes schedule and subsequent racing longevity of the horse, only to find that, as in all things, someone did a much better job of it already. Handride has this and Ray Paulick wrote this piece (my thanks to The Thoroughbred Brief) when he was editor of The Bloodhorse.

Picture, if you will, an organization whose sole responsibility is 'maintaining the American Stud Book', controlling the proverbial reins of the entire game. It is an organization as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. It's not fiction, it is the horrific truth. You have just crossed over into The Jockey Club Zone.

How does it happen that this seemingly innocuous organization has metastasized throughout the industry until it has control over virtually ever aspect of it?

As the keepers of the 'Holy Codex', the Jockey Club dictates how your horse is conceived, foaled, registered, named, raced and allowed to procreate.

Sally Hemmings, apparently, is an inappropriate name for a horse because this ethnically diverse organization is sensitive to the plight of the 'everyman' but the Jockey Club found no issue with the following names:

• Barack
• Obama
• Be Black
• Bodacious Tatas
• Baa Daa Bing Girl
• Backdoorbecky

In addition, to prove their universal misogyny, according to the Rule Book, Section V.6.F.13.g. Horses that have won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes, The Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Breeders' Cup Classic or the Breeders' Cup Turf, are considered permanent names and not eligible for use.

One would think that winners of the BC Distaff, F&M Turf, Ogden Phipps even, would deserve a similar honor and yet nary a race in the Distaff division is worthy of such.

Is it reasonable to believe that an organization of breeders, infested with JC members, charged with the responsibility of determining what races receive graded status, can effectively police itself? Why not make every race a graded stake then? Win a race, get graded status and then go off to stud; no reason to stick around and race anymore and everybody knows that the point of all this is to get to the breeding shed as soon as possible. What possible reason could we have to run the horses?

Da'Tara has run unplaced (I think) in every race following the Belmont. What the hell has Jazil done since his score in that race? That Jazil and Da'Tara fell back asswards into the pantheon of racing immortality and will have their names etched into the permanent record is a slap in the face to Personal Ensign, Azeri, Princess Rooney and many others that had to earn their way in.

It defies all logic to believe that a horse that qualifies for a N3L, with a GI win, has any reason to race further when he can stand at stud for ridiculous amounts and perpetuate the slow circling of the drain.

Superfecta had a piece addressing this issue and it would do much to solve some of the problems. Creating negative financial incentives for horses to retire early would go a long way toward improving the game and attracting new fans. Eliminating most of the so-called graded stakes would go even further.

Platitudes about vision and change do nothing but pander and distract. The cancer needs to be cut out and the system purged of its poison.

The next time you see the NTRA or TOBA banging away at their keyboards, espousing their sagacity, look carefully and see if you don't spy the gossamer leash of Cerberus' master.