DESORMEAUX’S DEFENSE
One of the debates after the Kentucky Derby has been Kent Desormeaux’s ride on Paddy O’Prado. While no one questions the run before the last 100 feet, it was the very end of the race that caused some concern with some suggesting he may have let up at the end thinking second place was locked. Desormeaux says that’s not true.
"It’s only from ignorance or lack of communication where you can make the accusation," insisted Desormeaux.
Trainer Dale Romans disagreed. "I think Kent thought he had second wrapped up and didn’t ride him as hard as he should have, but I’ve come to terms with it and I wasn’t going to think about it anymore."
Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think
Tags: bradford cummings, ESPN.com, kent desormeaux, kentucky derby, Paddy O'Prado, Paulick Report
May 10th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Although he is the best, the all-time best at stiffing horses, I’m not sure the derby is the place he would try that move.
About a week or two ago in NY, there was a sizable bridge jump on his mount.
Do I even need to tell you where the horse finished!?
THE BEST!!!
May 11th, 2010 at 1:37 am
I’m on Kent’s side here. Sometimes it IS counter productive, dangerous, and bordering on abuse to wail away on a tired horse. You have to trust the jockey in this situation. Ever hear the saying “beating a dead horse”? I’m sure that comes from this idea. At some point a horse is spent- and whipping him will not achieve the desired results.
May 11th, 2010 at 2:37 am
“no one questions the run before the last 100 feet” - really?
While this has indeed escaped most commentators on the subject, Kent D’s move from the 4-path to the 2-path with three horses to his inside was the only reason that Stately Victor slammed into Looking At Lucky and could very easily have ended up in a major spill on the rail, broadcast live on national TV. But I guess American stewards need to have ten more Rene Douglas incidents before they start handing out even the slight penalties for blatant instances of reckless riding. I’ve seen European and Asian jockeys get suspended for weeks and months for precisely this kind of move.
Never mind second, Paddy O’Prado should have been disqualified.
May 11th, 2010 at 5:05 am
It’s tough to determine what really happens because everyone wants to win & everyone wants to blame someone when they don’t. Since the jockey is the only one up on the horse, we have to often take his/her “word” if they say they had a tiring horse.
I agree, however, that some pretty risky moves in the Derby could have caused an accident.
But, that all said, why are we even giving Desormeaux a forum to whine? I heard the Steve Byk interview…interesting, comical & sometimes embarrassing.
And then there’s Big Brown in the Belmont & what looked like an attempt to cover up some bad moves on Desormeaux’s part. He capitalized on the Barbaro factor & tried to make it look “noble,” instead of the “just stupid” that was.
ALL jockeys want to win….and I do be
lieve Desormeaux did try his best with a tiring horse; however, by continuing to write about it gives him a platform to feed his ever needy ego these days.
May 11th, 2010 at 6:24 am
If we are to believe Desormeaux then Paddy O’Prado has no chance in the Preakness.
May 11th, 2010 at 6:33 am
“If you ain’t first, you’re last”. Ricky Bobby.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:22 am
Kent is the all-time best when it comes to not finishing races when he knows he’s beat. Hell, when he’s riding lower level races you’re lucky if he gives an effort at all. I can’t believe this issue surrounding him now hasn’t been brought up before.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:34 am
This Desormeaux’s all over the place. Check out what he said in the Courier-Journal on May 4th . . .
“Romans got a text from Desormeaux on Tuesday morning that said in part: “Could have won Derby. Let’s win the Preakness … Galloped out in front. FYI.”
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100504/SPORTS08/5040383/Curious-finish-in-Kentucky-Derby-2010-won-t-cost-Desormeaux
But he’s telling Grening in the article above that Paddy o’ Prado was tiring. “He was faltering the last sixteenth,” Desormeaux said. “There was no more forward progress…..
Get your story straight bro.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:54 am
What a bunch of cry babies…you lost on Derby Day. Always the jockeys fault, not your stupid handicapping. KJD one of the best jockeys of all time, but if Willie shoemaker was riding the horse you bet on and lost , he’d be a bum too. Do me a favor-don’t ever bet on Kent again…promise?
May 11th, 2010 at 8:08 am
When you hit a horse six times that’s trying its best and you are not getting anymore out of him because there’s nothing more for him to give you, you stop beating a tiring animal…
To me, if a horse is not/cannot repond any harder, just keep him safe until the next race. They’re animals, not greed driven humans.
I agree with Bob Baffert when he said he wished GG had wrapped up and protected LAL after the horrific beginnings of the KD, instead of using him so hard for a crummy 6th place…
May 11th, 2010 at 8:17 am
He could have ridden better inside the 16th pole, but I don’t understand all the hoopla. Typical story to bridge the gap between race. See the “buzzer” debacle from Jorge Santos on Funny Cide. Move on media…
May 11th, 2010 at 8:37 am
To Mike /Sean and Paula—I agree—The only thing Kent D. is missing is a mirror so he can look at himself while riding around the track–huge ego—blew the Big Brown race in my opinion, had a very questionable move on Belmont Day when he had enough room for a Mack Truck on the inside for Big Brown to continue on, but decided to pull Brown’s Head and confuse him all the more–he had to leave California to go overseas for the Horseman wouldn’t ride him anymore for his questionable rides–it’s easy for me to throw out his Horses when handicapping–oh, he may still beat me once in a while, but you never know his attitude day to day–r
May 11th, 2010 at 8:41 am
As if going 1 1/4 for the first time, the traffic issues, the bold move, and the bad step precipitating the lead change weren’t justification enough for the the horse getting tired. Would those horses behind him have finished better if they were strong armed to the wire? What if that bad step/lead switch was an indication of injury and Kent aggressively whipped a fatigued horse into submission? Could horse racing survive another tragedy in the Derby so soon after the death of Eight Belles?
I am not averse to proper use of the whip in racing, but there must be restrictions on how many times, where and from what position a horse can be hit, and there needs to be strict enforcement. Go back and count the number of times Super Saver was hit. The whip used at shoulder level is something more than just encouragement. If long time racing journalists are disgusted, what type of message are we sending to the general public whose only exposure may be the Ky Derby?
May 11th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Race - Thank you for your psychoanalysis of Big Brown and KJD. With such intuitive, in deoth knowledge of racing, you probably never lose - except of course when it’s the jockeys fault
May 11th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Rachel,
That’s why some jockeys are referred to as pinheads.
May 11th, 2010 at 8:52 am
I’ve never understood his rationale for pulling up Big Brown simply because he was obviously not going to win. Nor do I understand why the stewards did not seriously question this.
When he’s not on a winner he tends to abruptly pull up his mount after crossing the finish line. One cannot help but wonder why?
May 11th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Joe—Please—reframe from putting Willie Shoemaker in the same sentance as Kent. D.–r
May 11th, 2010 at 9:08 am
I have ridden TB’s for 40 years. I know their temperaments. If they can’t (tiredness) or don’t want to (cussedness LOL) go forward faster than you want them to, then hitting them is exactly the worst thing you can do. The term we use is “they look back at you”. Not physically, but mentally; they take their mind off going forward and focus on you trying to make them go forward, just as Kent said.
He is the only person riding that horse. He can feel the instant when PoP started to “look back at him”. At that point, he did the exact thing he should have done — put away the whip and hand ride him to the wire.
You arm chair quarterbacks find it real easy to criticize from a keyboard without knowing what it feels like to sit on top of a horse who starts to spin his wheels in reverse. I certainly believe him in this instance — and I don’t think that anyone else can disagree, because they were not up there with him.
May 11th, 2010 at 9:30 am
During the past forty years, I have watched well over 50,000 races and have bet on thousands. My personal observations are that use of the whip is highly over-rated and often interferes with the horse’s performance (and that of other horses) as much as it contributes. We have come to expect to see whipping, and some people even have come to believe that the more a horse is whipped the faster he will go. Many jockeys even automatically go to the whip at the quarter pole, no matter what is going on in the race or with their horse, because it is expected, and “the thing to do.” Often, however, use of the whip is counterproductive.
I hate to think back on the number of times the horse I bet on lost position or all chance because it sulked or shied or veered or became distracted by the use of the jockey’s whip. Furthermore, and unfortunately at key times, the jockey’s backward movement required for whipping can interfere with the fluid forward movement and momentum required to finish in the best way.
In this instance with Paddy, we are talking about perception … our perception as we looked on from a distance and Kent’s perception sitting on top of the horse. I think I’ll go with the jockey on this one. He has to ride according to his “feel” at that moment and to say that he “wrapped up” is a gross injustice.
Kent speaks like a professional who listened to his horse when he says, “At that time it seemed like the more I spanked him, the more I’d slow him down because now he’s paying attention to me, he’s not fighting for the wire. It was my opinion that spanking him anymore was only slowing him down. So at that point I threw a cross and looked under my arm because I thought if he keeps slowing down like this I’m going to get caught, and I saw the horse coming so I started screaming and hollering at him, kissing, smooching, scootin’ and bootin’ and I wasn’t about to spank him again and make him stop even more.”
Sounds good to me.
May 11th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Right on Lord Helpus. I’ve galloped TB’s as well and agree with you wholeheartedly. Anyone here who wants to criticize KD and has never ridden a racehorse needs to back off because they have no idea what they are talking about. It’s like thinking you can tell a surgeon how to operate when all you have is a GED.
May 11th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Kent D. was the one riding Paddy, he felt his breathing and action and did his best for the horse and all. The horse is safe.
Are those who are complaining about Paddy’s 3rd place finish, would they be happier today if they had witnessed the ultimate reassurance that the horse truly gave them all he’s got that day?
A certain jockey beat the winning but catastrophically injured Imperial Eyes, from a merciless barn, to the wire. Imperial Eyes still hit the board and was euthanized past the wire.
Other jockeys should be inspired by Kent’s restraint while doing his best in the race without abusing or ruining his horse for future races.
The whip can actually make a horse throw his head and stop or break his/her heart and spirit for good, Rachel Alexandra comes to mind. It is worse on young horses and females. I wish that horses were smarter or more rebellious instead of being deadly subservient.
The use of whip should be limited to three or four blows per race without the jockey raising his elbow above his shoulder. With security camera in all barns to protect horses, owners and jockeys who win with hand-rides should receive nice bonuses.
As long as racing permits the whip, industry insiders and media should be forced to call whipping what it is, really, and stop hiding the ugly truth behind words like encouragement, strong encouragement, urging, strong urging, hard drive, pressure, giving you all they’ve got, etc.
The whipping of race horses is barbaric and shameful and industry and media need to sanitize reality. It would be smart to greatly limit or eliminate whipping. Horses would be less fearful of racing, they would have less moral and physical problems, they would need less drugs and they and fans would stick around much longer.
May 11th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Kent D. was on Paddy, he felt his breathing and action and did his best. The horse is safe.
Are those who are complaining about Paddy’s 3rd place finish, would they be happier today if they had witnessed the ultimate reassurance that the horse truly gave them all he’s got that day?
A certain jockey beat the winning but catastrophically injured Imperial Eyes, from a merciless barn, to the wire. Imperial Eyes still hit the board and was euthanized past the wire.
Other jockeys should be inspired by Kent’s restraint while doing his best in the race without abusing or ruining his horse for future races.
The whip can actually make a horse throw his head and stop or break his/her heart and spirit for good, Rachel Alexandra comes to mind. It is worse on young horses and females. I wish that horses were smarter or more rebellious instead of being deadly subservient.
The use of whip should be limited to three or four blows per race without the jockey raising his elbow above his shoulder. With security camera in all barns to protect horses, owners and jockeys who win with hand-rides should receive nice bonuses.
As long as racing permits the whip, industry insiders and media should be forced to call whipping what it is, really, and stop hiding the ugly truth behind words like encouragement, strong encouragement, urging, strong urging, hard drive, pressure, giving you all they’ve got, etc.
The whipping of race horses is barbaric and shameful and industry and media need to sanitize reality. It would be smart to greatly limit or eliminate whipping. Horses would be less fearful of racing, they would have less moral and physical problems, they would need less drugs and they and fans would stick around much longer.
May 11th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Joe:
I completely agree. And how about Calvin Borel, who often excessively whips horses?
May 11th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Why is everybody concentrating on whipping. The horse WAS NOT ridden out. Watch Garret Gomez sometime. Watch the agressive ride WITHOUT whipping. Riding a horse out does not mean whipping to the very end. An aggresive ride ENCOURAGES a horse, whereas whipping may have the opposite affect .
Desormeau, many times, never rode horses out when in California, as did Garry Stevens. Funny how everyone is ready to hang the trainer, stewards included, but give the jockey’s a pass. Bettors loose more money from jockey’s not riding their horses out than they do by anything a trainer may do. Remember, a trainer gets sanctioned, jockey’s continue their bad riding at the expense of the bettor. Just how many thousands of dollars are lost on exacta’s, trifictas, place pick all’s, etc, by this kind of riding. If a horse is beat and is going to run out of the money, OK, BUT, if you are in the thick of it at the eight pole — there is NO EXCUSE for not riding the horse out to the very end, AS THE RULES OF RACING REQUIRE!!
May 11th, 2010 at 10:31 am
I think that Kent was looking forward to all of the partying that he’d be doing a couple of days after the Derby. From the sound of this interview, life is still good for a top-flite jockey whether you’ve cost your owners about half a million bucks and many bettors some exotic tickets!! His Kotashaan blunder in Japan is the thing that legends are made of.
http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=744&year=2010&month=05&day=04&Itemid=35
May 11th, 2010 at 10:58 am
We’ve all seen that Kent wraps up when he knows he’s beaten. The whip works best when used sparingly as a surprise to the horse rather than repeated whipping, as Kent was doing when he thought he still had a chance to catch the winner. But then he wraps up and reaches up to pull his goggles down when he should have switched his stick to his left and given the horse one more as a surprise, and continued to ride aggressively, as Frank pointed out. Desormeaux rides arrogantly and blathers just as arrogantly afterward. Never a humble bone…
May 11th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
they are passengers fools .ever wonder why theres 12 ponies lined up to take them 2 furlongs to the gate, duh they cant RIDE
May 11th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
COURSE ITS DIFFERENT BEATING A DEAD HORSE WHEN HES NECK AND NECK TO WIN, CLOWNS,
May 11th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
All these people who are pissed at Kent must have had Rachel @ 1-9 last week when , who was that… oh Kent who rode his ass off to beat her. And, fyi race, Kent is on my list for top 10 of all time along with the Shoe, Pincay, Cordero and Eddie D.
May 11th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
All these people who are ticked at Kent must have had Rachel @ 1-9 last week when , who was that… oh Kent who rode his ass off to beat her. And, fyi race, Kent is on my list for top 10 of all time along with the Shoe, Pincay, Cordero and Eddie D.
May 11th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
All these people who are ticked at Kent must have had Rachel @ 1-9 last week when , who was that… oh Kent who rode his ass off to beat her. And, fyi race, Kent is on my list for top 10 of all time along with the Shoe, Pincay, Cordero and Eddie D. Who’s your favorite? Prado?
May 11th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Joe–please give it up–my top Jocks were the snoz (Arcaro), and Hartack–all this effort with regard to all of us trying to beat the other with how many races we have seen or ridden does not take away from the point of some of the best in the business refers to Kent. D. as “Sleepy”—I don’t necessarily blame Kent for his race on Derby Day, as stated only he really knows, but look at his body of work, and what happened to those who wouldn’t ride him anymore in California, or if you wish go ask Dutrow what he thinks. No it’s not this particular ride on Derby Day, it’s his past–I’m done, and Joe give up being an apologist for Kent, this is all opinion, and just think, me not betting on your “boy” will help your odds—r
May 11th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
$2 to show won’t raise his odds that much…
May 11th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Aw come on Kent, quit spinnin’.
May 11th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Rob, you wrote that Kent speaks like a professional….obviously you did not listen to his very unprofessional interview on Steve Byk’s Sirius program. Beyond Kent’s questionable demenaor during the interview, it’s obvious by his words, it’s everyone’s fault but his that he was 3rd.
And speaking of “professionalism,” while a jock’s agent hustling mounts is one thing….trying to hustle Kent onto Informed Decision for her next start is not only uncool, but it’s awfully presumptious that Kent could even remotely replace Leparoux on that horse.
Kent’s personal antics affect my perception of him. His ego is ridiculous these days, as is his bizarre off track behavior.
But….I have just seen Kent ride one too many times with no patience or like he was off in another world….to me, Kent’s a horrible bet.
And no…I did not bet on Rachel Alexandra at 1/9…. LOL.
May 11th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Kent rules more so when he got off a filly of mine 12 years or so ago and said “you need to learn how to train a filly ” which i replied “right after you ride the last eighth of a mile instead of wrapping up and dogging it , your paid for the entire race not the bit you decided to ride today.”
He isn’t called “sleepy” for no reason folks.
May 11th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
KD: “It’s only from ignorance or lack of communication where you can make the accusation…”
WOW. How much more inarticulate can anyone be?
If you want to defuse a controversy, this is the worst possible way to go about it.
KD had ten days to come up with ONE coherent, definitive statement that would justify what happened in the last ten seconds of the 2010 Derby.
Why not just say that Paddy simply tired and could not sustain his drive in the stretch?
Is that an unreasonable premise, after any horse in any Derby has run almost ten furlongs, in the most demanding race of the year?
By the way, Garret Gomez – after his unfortunate experience in 2010 with LAL – must certainly appreciate the storm of controversy having moved on & away from him.
Personally, I thought his ride in the SA Derby was a masterpiece of bad judgment - a thousand times more obvious than Desormeaux’s debatable (and defensible) Derby ride (but why Baffert had to gratuitously, publicly criticize GG after the race is still unclear, and strongly indicates that Bob’s character – as opposed to his stellar wit - is still his Achilles Heel).
May 11th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Kent is one of the best of all time at not ‘finishing’ thru the line when he gets beat for the win. Every player who’s bet horses for years has, at one point, been ‘desormeaux-ed” .
This is a well earned reputation.
Ask any serious horseplayer which jocks have cost him the most money by not riding minor board spots thru the line and KJD’s name will come up in almost everyone’s top 5.
May 12th, 2010 at 8:37 am
To the experts who are still bringing up KENT’S ride on BIG BROWN in the belmont..
you blind idiots> BIG BROWN WAS STEPPED ON HIS RIGHT FOOT BEHIND coming out of the gate by a rat that should never been in the race..His shoe was bent 45 degrees..THATS WHY HE PULLED HIM UP..
May 12th, 2010 at 10:05 am
I personally saw Kent and some babe taking home a few bottles of wine one night in KY. He was on several horses the next day. One was a stakes race. He rode them all poorly and all over the track. The stakes horse (the fave) had a horrible ride and ended up second to a 10-1 shot. Kent finally got his act together in the last race and at least was close to the finish line. When I spoke to the assistant trainer, who trains for a decent outfit,of his stakes horse ride and what I saw the night before, his response was, “we don’t care what they are on or did the night before. We just want a placement.” I guess the whole community mindset of the racing business is backwards. I found his response arrogant and classless. It also showed they have no concern for the horses they are training.
I too, heard that Sirus interview and was NOT surprised at all after seeing his anitics in the Liquor Barn and rides the following day.
May 12th, 2010 at 10:18 am
YOU MUST BE JEALOUS….NOW YOU ARE THE FASHION COP….LOL
May 12th, 2010 at 11:10 am
I don’t really care about the Big Brown race, but your story is laughable at best.
But, let me see if I have it straight:
-Big Brown has a problem after the start with a hind shoe
-He runs for A MILE AND A QUARTER and Kent doesn’t feel a thing.
-then, and only then, he pulls up at the quarter pole.
Wow, what a story you have there….
May 12th, 2010 at 11:27 am
I do not expect a saint to ride my pick in the Preakness. I do know for a fact how well KD prepares for races, watching prior races of all his mounts before he rides. Shoemaker was so drunk towards the end of his career no one would ride him anymore and that was why he retired when he did. KD has pulled some bone headed rides, but tell me who has not.
They ride a live animal at 45 miles an hour in traffic that takes nerves of steel to ride through.
I will bet that most of the people that take shots have never been on a horse and never in a race. KD’s stats are good and even though his ride cost Real Quiet the triple crown. I will not beat him up for not beating a horse that was finished. How do I know he was finished?
Look at the clock, Mr. Secondhand does not lie, they all were tired.
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May 15th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
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May 16th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Kent Desormeaux is the type of jockey that has the ability to connect to the horses that he rides. As a result of this emotional attachment he can feel both the mental and physical changes well in advance. I think the normal racing public lacks in their understanding of this style of race riding. Historically, I think Desormeaux may well be the master of this technique. I have always had great confidence in his abilities and especially his intellect. I know of no other jockey riding today that has such grace and artistic ability.