By
Steve Kallas (posted by Rick Morris)
You’ve
heard the expression in other sports; in basketball, in football, in hockey
–“Let the players decide the game.” It’s
a saying that is often followed in professional sports.
Well,
it wasn’t followed on Saturday, August 5, 2017 in the 2017 Hambletonian Final. Watch the replay of the stretch drive. Did David Miller and his horse, What The
Hill, interfere with Jason Bartlett and his horse, Guardian Angel As, as Miller
pulled the pocket to successfully trot by Perfect Spirit?
He
did. But was Bartlett’s horse going
forward in the stretch?
No.
Did
he have a chance to win or even keep up with horses after being parked the mile
in the Hambletonian Final?
No.
WHAT
HAPPENS IN OTHER SPORTS?
Well,
virtually all of the time, NHL referees “swallow their whistles” in overtime
playoff games. Virtually all of the time, NBA referees “swallow their whistles”
late in playoff games (and even many regular season games) when a player (even
a star) goes to the basket and gets fouled.
Virtually
all of the time, NFL officials “swallow their whistles” and won’t call that
holding penalty late in a big game.
Why
is that? Well, it’s because there is a
general feeling in sport that players, not officials, should decide the game.
ARE
THEIR EXCEPTIONS TO THIS “RULE”?
There
are. If an NBA player gets hammered and
had a clear path to a layup/dunk, some referees will call that, even in a big
spot. Or if an NHL player has a
breakaway or even a step on a defender, that hook or trip might be called.
In
football, once in a while, that obvious hold in a big spot will be called (see,
for example, Atlanta’s Jake Matthews’ egregious hold/takedown of the Patriots’
Chris Long in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI, when it was clear that Long
had a clear path to sacking QB Matt Ryan).
IS
THERE AN EQUIVALENT IN HARNESS RACING?
You
bet there is. Generally speaking, in
harness racing and thoroughbred racing, especially in big races, judges are
generally loathe to take down horses for interference. Often, the nuanced test is, “was the horse
who was interfered with going forward at the time of the interference?” or, “was
he cut off from having a chance to win or pass horses by the interference.”
There
was no such chance for Guardian Angel As.
He had been parked the mile at 55-1 in the Hambletonian Final. While he raced gamely to be up near the lead,
he was already flattening out when Dave Miller pulled the pocket with the
eventual winner (until he was disqualified), What The Hill.
BUT
WHAT’S A DRIVER TO DO?
Indeed,
thousands of times a year in harness racing, a driver who has put up a brave fight
for much of a race with a game horse will ever so slightly move over (or just
drift to the outside from being tired) to not get in the way of a horse who has
a chance to win or, at least, go forward in the stretch.
But,
in the Hambletonian Final, Jason Bartlett was caught between a rock and a hard
place. Andy Miller, driving Devious Man,
and following Jason Bartlett and Guardian Angel As, pulled around Bartlett to
try and pass him at the top of the stretch.
But
Andy Miller’s horse, Devious Man, came down on Bartlett’s horse (importantly,
before David Miller’s horse, What The Hill, interfered with Bartlett’s horse).
The
point being that Bartlett couldn’t either slightly move over or even drift out
when it was clear he was not going to go forward in the stretch after being
parked the mile. Indeed, it looked like Bartlett’s horse came down inside a
little bit just before he was interfered with – because he had to get slightly
away from Devious Man to his outside (watch carefully).
In
thoroughbred racing, where this happens much more often, it’s called “being
pinched” from both sides.
WHAT
ARE THE JUDGES TO DO?
Well,
often-times, judges will make a nuanced determination that the horse interfered
with was done or wasn’t going forward or, at that point in the race, had lost
all chance to win or go by horses in the lane.
In that case, no disqualification is warranted.
In
this writer’s opinion, that would have been the proper determination, given the
circumstances of this race.
BUT
WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
The
problem with taking down the winner is that, if you’re going to go “by the
book” (you know, interference is interference, no matter what the situation),
well then, the judges should have at least discussed taking down Devious Man as
well (imagine that debacle).
In
addition, you have to consider the fact that this is the World Series of
Harness Racing, the Super Bowl (double-meaning intended) for trotters, the
seventh game of the NBA Finals.
Now,
if Guardian Angel As was going forward with a chance to win or go by horses, by
all means take down a horse who interferes with him. But that simply was not the case. And, again, if you are going to take down
the winner, you have to possibly take down Devious Man as well.
WHAT
DID THE DISQUALIFICATION LEAD TO?
Well,
it led to a long wait, a TV audience that really wasn’t aware of what was
happening (yes, this writer DVR’d the race, went home and watched it again and
again) and the first disqualification in the 92 editions of the Hambletonian.
It
also led to an awkward winner’s circle presentation, where the owner was
actually asked this question: “Is the feeling any less special because the
horse finished second across the wire and was put up via DQ or is it still just
as sweet?”
Yikes!
To owner Lennart Agren’s credit, the first half of his answer was terrific: “We
cannot do anything about that.” The second half, not so much: “so I thought the
horse did two very good races and I think he deserved it.
Obviously,
the second half of the answer is open for debate. While Perfect Spirit and talented
trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt did go two very good races, the reality is that,
ON THE RACETRACK, he finished second.
Did he “deserve” to win the Hambletonian?
Not
really. While Perfect Spirit was not involved
in the interference, What The Hill trotted right by him in the deep stretch
(What The Hill had a perfect pocket trip while Perfect Spirit in the Final cut
the mile after leaving from the 10 hole, tucking fourth and being first over in
his elimination).
AT
THE END OF THE DAY …
Many
people will say, interference is interference – the facts surrounding it are
irrelevant. But this writer says that
the age-old axiom, “Let the players decide the game on the field,” or, in this
case, “Let the horses and drivers decide the race on the track,” should be
followed in all but the most egregious cases.
The
2017 Hambletonian Final was NOT one of those egregious cases.
Steve
Kallas is a former groom, assistant trainer, trainer and driver. Every year on Hambletonian Day he joins Marc
Malusis on WFAN to discuss harness racing in general and the Hambletonian in
particular.
