Info for Non Racegoers.
When two horses from the same stable run in the same race they sometimes have
the numbers 1A and 1B on their saddle cloths.
The
biggest horse race of the year was won by Glib-Lib a young horse running in its
first big stakes race. Its pedigree was impeccable and it was bred from a past
winner of the Election Stakes. Glib-Lib was heavily bet on by many punters, and
though it was a slow starter, it eventually forged to the front for an easy win
at the finish line. Its stable cloth number was 1B and it was cheered on to victory by its bettors and owners. The
favourite, Con-Job owned by corporate owners had 1A on its stable cloth and had been expected to win. But it was
nearly 10 years old and fast falling from grace in the minds of the bettors.
Still, it did have its followers and many had supported and bet heavily on it
too. The editorial tipsters at one corporate monopoly chain of newspapers
tipped Con-Job to win. And another corporate owned newspaper tipped Con-Job
also, but said it did not care for Con-Jobs jockey. Some wondered did this
newspaper have a bizarre case of hoof and mouth, by supporting the horse but
not the jockey. The jockey of Con-Job
had received some criticism from a previous follower who said, he did not have,
any “moral authority” in the race and that he was betting on another horse and
rider for a “change.” Con-Job ran a
mediocre race, and that had not been enough, to get it a win. It had run out of steam in the home stretch
and finally succumbed to Glib-Lib a younger horse that had more exuberance and
speed.
Still, the race was a great accomplishment for corporate
stable owners and the trainers; Corporate Marketing Wins (CMW). The trainers of
both horses should take a bow for their prowess. One must also give a word of
praise to the jockeys of 1A and 1B, both rode well. Unfortunately, the
jockey “leadership” in the saddle of 1A,
Con –Job, was not up to snuff as the saying goes, and he faltered badly in his
reading and timing of the race. The
jockey on 1B had this to say on
dismounting from Glib-Lib: “It was real change that won this race and I hope to
continue to win aboard Glib-Lib at the next opportunity.”
One must not forget or detract from the other runners in the
Election Stakes. Third place finish went to Social Demo a perpetual runner in
the Election Stakes. It had started off as favourite to win but eventually
lagged behind because of a piece of cloth flying in the wind. This startled
Social Demo and hampered its running ability, causing it to fall back, after
being in contention. But, everybody had praise for the jockey of Social-Demo
for his integrity in the race, despite his bad luck with the cloth incident.
Fourth place in the Election Stakes went to an old horse
called Franki-Fone that had come out of retirement. It was ridden by an older
jockey with much experience. Both the horse and the jockey performed admirably,
but they could not match the power of the Corporate Stables or its second horse
Con-Job, or the winner Glib-Lib.
Honourable
mention goes to Green Thumb and the other runners who finished the race, but were
not good enough to win, place or show in the Election Stakes. They all tried hard and should be
congratulated on their participation.
Some
cynical people wondered if the race had really been a bit of a sham because the
two horses, with different names, were in much the same ownership. Of course
this was considered bad racing form to say this, and rightly so. This was a
free country and anybody was entitled to own a horse. After all, this Election
Stakes race was free enterprise and democracy running at its finest. The
punters were happy and got to participate, and play the field, so what could be
better than that? Still, one disgruntled racegoer was heard to say: “It’s all
horse sh-t.” Another bad loser remarked, “Con-Job should be sent to the glue
factory or the Knackers Yard, and Con-Job’s jockey should retire from racing
immediately and go get a job on a corporate board, or become a stable boy.” Unfair
comments like that showed it was just another day at the races, and that not
everybody can be winners.
Stephen J. Gray
October 20, 2015.