Marty McGee has a fun article on Daily Racing Form regarding the serendipitous nature of Thoroughbred racing and how that played out on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course where Satans Quick Chick won the Raven Run Stakes despite his owner attempting to scratch her earlier on the card.
What took me aback by the story is how it contradicted what trainer Eric Reed said immediately after the race.
"I just want to thank Jerry for letting me run her here," Reed said. "We knew it'd be a tough spot and Jerry hates big fields, but she loves training on this track, and I'm glad he let me run her."
Based on Marty's story, I question the choice of words, "I'm glad he let me run her" since it sounds to me that steward and retired Racing Hall of Fame trainer John Veitch didn't let anyone do anything so much as he made Reed saddle Jamgotchian's filly.
I don't blame Reed's line here since it makes him sound like a horse whisperer totally in tune to how his filly is going to run despite her long odds. However, now we know the reality was that Jamgotchian had every intention to scratch regardless of any lobbying Reed may have done on behalf of how well the filly had been training.
Had I been on my "A" game on Saturday after the race I may have sniffed out this story myself. A simple follow-up question like, "How close did Mr. Jamgotchian come to scratching" could have gotten me the story.
It's too easy sometimes as a reporter to think I have the info and quote I need to complete the story and fill the space. This is a good lesson to learn a week out from heading West to cover the Breeders' Cup World Championships: Don't let the reporting fit the story, let the story fit the reporting.
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