Journalism Complaint Re: Barbaro' Triple Crown Campaign?

I couldn't agree more !!! Michael Matz is a VERY RARE breed of trainer- and a true horseman, not to mention a genuine hero and lifesaver. I have never seen another horseman who was more dedicated and concerned for the welfare of the horses he works with, rides, and trains. He isn't in this for the money or the glory, either- with Michael, what you see is what you get. People just aren't used to the idea that a racehorse trainer can be a self-made type, someone who came from humble beginings, and rose to the top of his profession through his own hard work and perserverance. The racing world desperately needs more people like him, not less of them. Perhaps you may remember the scandals that hit the show jumping world ( the world that Michael started his career in) back in the 80's and early 90's. None of that crap ever touched Michael- he was WAY TOO smart to get involved in that awful stuff. And you are right on another account as well- the media DOES need to apologize to both Michael and the Jacksons, especially since the Jacksons have now become known for their philanthropic activities since Barbaro's death last month.They just donated 3 million to New Bolton to establish a new research chair/ endowment for the study of laminitis, among other things. This is something that will benefit ALL horses, everywhere, and may help prevent future tragedies like the one we all saw with Barbaro. I will never understand why the media people believe that everyone who is in this sport is always in it for the money. There are people who do have real compassion, and Barbaro's human family exemplifies this very clearly. Shame on the papers and TV reporters for not recognizing that.

The only thing I remeber prior to the Derby was the way Michael Matz was afraid to let anyone near Barbaro. I have never seen a trainer so scared to let people take pictures of a horse. Now that Barbaro is dead I feel bad for whistling the English Royal anthem every time he galloped by me, but I have never seen a trainer do everything but wrap his horse in bubblewrap like Matz did, and in the end the horse still broke down. In my mind Matz will always be a 10% trainer who happened to train Barbaro. If he was that good of a trainer he would be winning at 30%, expecially with the quality of horses he has been given. Show jumping people are not race horse trainers, although the 2006 Derby will make everyone think they are. The best race horses are tough rugged and can run any day, any where on any track, a show horse trainer would never allow that which makes them inferior to a true race horse trainer. To say Matz kept Barbaro from injuring himself even more in the Preakness is the bigest load of **** I've heard since someboay on this retarded site said the Smarty Jones Belmont was fixed. The horse took a bad step, deal with it, I also don't know how much worse that injury could have been, but if you can dream it up, then go ahead, make the breakdown seem better than it was. It's too bad it happened but it did, no amount of what ifs will ever take that back. It's too bad the horse died, but it is too bad any horse dies, I don't care if it's a Derby winner of a $4,000 claimer, in my mind a breakdown is a breakdown. Maybe everyone only cares about big horses around here. That's too bad becausw I don't. I agree that all the sports writers that think they know horse racing because they saw the replay of the Derby have no right writing about a breakdown. But don't make Michael Matz out to be a god. he simply trained a horse who brokedown, just like 20 other trainers who lost a horse that week.

The press did not publicly ridicule Micheal Matz but merely pointed out that no horse had won the Kentucky Derby off of a five week layoff. There was always praise of the way the horse was training and how good he looked. Barbaro was also in the top choices of many of the sport writers. The injury in the Preakness was an accident. It had nothing to do with how he was trained, that he broke through the gate or anyother strange idea people have come up with. This year Street Sense is going to run in the derby off of only two starts. The press will also talk about this over and over but in the end the trainer is the boss and will look like a genius if it works and a fool if it doesn't.

I don't want to take anything away from Starlight's excellent answer, but I do want to add... this is exactly what happens with every trainer with nonconventional methods. Remember Seabiscuit's trainer, Tom Smith? Until Charles Howard came along, Smith was hanging out in fields with horses because everyone thought he was just crazy. But look what he did with Seabiscuit! No one else could figure out the horse and he could. Michael Matz shows the same genius with horses. I don't think that a Barbaro who was forced to train and race harder than he did would have won the Derby. Matz knew exactly what to do to get the best out of that horse. And he actually cares about the horses: the ones he's training and all horses in general. When Round Pond (the filly he trained) won the distaff at the Breeders cup last year, all Matz could talk about was how bad he felt for the 2 horses who broke down in the race.

Certainly the media ought to apologize, but I'm willing to bet that they'll criticize his methods again when another of his horses comes into the spotlight... and that's exactly what happens in the media with every horse. This is slightly unrelated, but retired jockey Gary Stevens wrote a letter to the editor of the LA Times after it wrote 2 articles bashing Barbaro and the nation's attention toward him after his death. <You can read Gary's article in the next post from go4gin because my link didn't work.> It's an excellent response to this problem that the media simply has to find something to criticize in everything.

Thank you for posting that, go4gin. I'm sorry the link didn't work.

hi, i myself do no longer think of he would have won the Belmont as this horse became into used to lots time without work between races, and that i do no longer think of he became into in sturdy adequate shape to have even won the Preakness. He bolted from the gate as quickly as, so he became into rattled, and this would have contributed to what occurred to his leg. He would have banged it (maximum horses in the Triple Crown races are often stallions) and possessing my own stallion while he gets agitated or is only many times in a undesirable temper, he has a tendency to kick out together with his left hind leg. no longer at all people particularly, that's barely his way of exclaiming shall we get on with it. I do exactly no longer think of he became into greater wholesome adequate to guard the Belmont as he have been gently raced, and he became right into some months youthful than a super sort of the different horses. At that age, he became into technically 3 January a million, yet he had only became 3 April twenty 9th, and those few months could make a huge distinction as horses are actually not seen mature till they are 5. In face they are referred to as colts or fillys till the age of 5, then they are referred to as mares and stallions. regardless of the undeniable fact that being so gently raced, plus the age deficit, i do no longer see how he would have won a mile and a nil.5 race, 3 weeks away. besides, i'm saying my prayers for him and pray he maintains to be quiet for the time of the therapeutic technique. the only ingredient that would finally end up being a huge subject for him later down the line if he makes it by surgical treatment and that they might restoration this horrid harm is that TB's could be stay bred. Warmbloods you are able to AI, and if a mare kicks him lower back in the lower back leg, i do no longer prefer to think of roughly it as that's how the daddy of my stallion died, being kicked by ability of a mare at breeding time. Take care, and that i'm saying a prayer for him, Nanette

this isn't an answer, I found the link kmn_miami put in his/her response didn't take me anywhere. I was fascinated that Gary Stevens responded to that a$$hole Simers and thought more people might enjoy reading Gary's response. Here is his letter:

2/2/07 - After LA Times sports columnist T.J. Simers wrote two very disrespectful articles about Barbaro and the industry, Gary Stevens fired off a letter to the Editor in Chief. His letter is pasted below.

Mr. James O'Shea

Editor In Chief

Los Angeles Times

Dear Mr. O'Shea

It is one thing to be labeled a provocative journalist and quite another to act as a rude, callous, insulting and uneducated sports columnist. Unfortunately, T.J. Simers seems to reside under the latter category.

I found it extremely appalling to read the article Mr. Simers penned in the LA Times titled "Grieving for Barbaro makes no horse sense", regarding the untimely death of Kentucky Derby Champion Barbaro. Even further disturbing to me is the fact that the LA Times would allow such an extremely unprofessionally researched piece to be published.

Simers compares Barbaro to a squirrel, asking "Tell me the difference right now between the furry bump in the road that was once a squirrel, and Barbaro today." He goes on to say, "I don't get this blubbering fascination with Barbaro." And you, Mr. Simers call yourself a sports journalist? Shame on you!

Let me teach you a thing or two about Barbaro, the oldest sport in the America, and the determination, heart and will that it takes to make a champion.

Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby which is one of the most prestigious sporting events in all of sports. He won it by an astonishing 6 1/2 lengths which was the largest margin in 60 years. He was one of only 18 horses in history to come into the Derby undefeated.

Barbaro's trainer, Michael Matz was an Olympic silver medalist who survived a plane crash in Iowa that took the lives of 111 people. His heroic measures led him to rescue three kids out of the burning crash and then return to a smoke filled cabin to save an 11 month old baby. Maybe this gives you an inkling of why America and the world has embraced this horse and his connections so fondly.

Simers refers to looking up the definitions of courageous and courage on dictionary.com. He should have looked up the words ignorance (the state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge"), and arrogance ("offensive display of superiority or self-importance") while looking up the words, determination ("the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose"), will ("purpose or determination") and heart (the center of the total personality, the center of emotion, spirit, courage, or enthusiasm), all of which a champion is made of and which Barbaro and his connections have displayed to the utmost! He might want to make note for future reference that squirrel is defined on dictionary.com as a "bushy-tailed rodent". Please tell me and your readers where he was ever able to find a connection between the two!

As a three time Kentucky Derby winning jockey I find it more than insulting that he would write an article about our sport, the oldest in America with such total disregard to the facts and the loss of a champion.

Like Roy and Gretchen Jackson, the owners of Barbaro and the majority of the horse owners, trainers, jockeys, grooms, journalists and all involved in bringing the sport of horse racing to the public, most are in it because of the joy they derive from the sport and the passion, and love they have for the horse, not the money Mr. Simers thinks they receive from it. Only a small fraction of owners in the sport actually receive a return on their investments. Although I made a good living in the sport I risked my life every time I came out of the gate. I rode for the passion of the sport and as any athlete or champion will tell you the thrill of victory is what drives a champion to be his best.

If Simers had done his homework or paid attention to the champion athletes whose careers he has covered as a "journalist" over the years he would have never questioned the fascination in Barbaro or been able to write an article with such total disregard for the facts and what Barbaro meant to all of those who mourned for him at the time of his death.

I would like to think that a major market newspaper such as the LA Times would be concerned about the integrity or lack thereof of their "journalists." It is clear to me that by the firing of Simers by ESPN and all of the negative things I have read about him, I am just one of many who feel this way.

Gary Stevens

Sierra Madre, CA

Mr. James O'Shea

Editor In Chief

WTG GARY!!!!!