Technology doesn’t guarantee perfection from race officials

One would think that with all of the modern technology at their disposal that the track stewards who officiate horse racing would get their decisions correct 99.9 percent of the time. We know that doesn’t happen.

Even though racing was the first sport to use instant replay from a wide source of camera angles and the stewards also get to speak with the jockeys while conducting an inquiry, their final decision is still subjective.

I was listening to the local radio program “Race Day Las Vegas” last week and heard Ralph Siraco and Jerry Jacovitz discussing two stewards’ decisions from Aug. 6, one each at Del Mar and Saratoga.

I knew about Del Mar Race 1 from last Friday. When Amazombie was disqualified and placed last and runner-up Tropic Storm was placed first, the switch helped my bankroll. I saw the various replay angles and figured the steward’s decision could have gone either way.

I went back to the videotape on Saratoga Race 5, and what I saw boggled my mind. During the call of the race, Spa track announcer Tom Durkin said, “Oh my goodness, Pelican Lake came off the rail and seemed to smash right into She Wears the Best.” His description was accurate.

Pelican Lake won by knocking aside a foe in what resembled a roughly run NASCAR event. The Daily Racing Form footnote on Pelican Lake read like this, “nearing the quarter-pole, clobbered She Wears the Best knocking that rival three paths to the outside.”

I understood the Del Mar decision, but not at Saratoga. I’m not sure what the Spa stewards were looking at.

These decisions affect the bottom-line profit and loss of horsemen and horseplayers alike. All we ask for is consistency. It’s like the strike zone in baseball. Hitters and pitchers can adjust as long as they know what to expect.

■ ZENYATTA — Last week’s column on undefeated Zenyatta led to a spirited Internet discussion on the champ.

She will seek win No. 19 in the Zenyatta at Oak Tree, where she will be 1-10 odds to win. Her counterpart Rachel Alexandra will run on the same day, Oct. 2, in the Beldame at Belmont Park.

The likelihood is growing that these two superstars will never meet. There is no certainty that both will run in the same Breeders’ Cup race, Ladies Classic or Classic, or even get that far. Regardless, owners Jerry Moss and Jess Jackson are deserving of an award for sharing their champions with us to enjoy for another season.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.