Opinion: Lost objectivity has everyone labeled 'haters'

“Woke culture” has gotten ridiculous, plain and simple. While there are certainly areas in which our society needs to progress, it has gotten to the point where we’re losing as much as we’re gaining. In horse racing, this comes in the inability to see facts as facts rather than as “hate.”

We can backtrack to the Lukas Classic (G2). We can rewind to the summer at the Spa. We can even go all the way back to the Kentucky Derby. We don’t need to go that far back, though, as the last few days have been quite telling.

The doors have closed on what was a too-short career for the remarkable Flightline. This son of Tapit is the type of horse who comes along once in a generation. In six starts, no one ever came close to beating him. He answered every question asked of him. In winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he answered the biggest question of all: can he run a record-breaking race at 1 1/4 miles against quality opponents? The answer, obviously, was a resounding and emphatic yes.

The hyperbole was immediate, with comparisons to the iconic Secretariat coming left and right. It goes without saying that most of the accolades stemmed from those on the Flightline bandwagon. For those with a healthy sense of realism, however, the backlash was immediate. Those who dared remind the star-struck fans that Secretariat had a longer career and still holds the stakes records for all three Triple Crown races were instantly struck down and labeled “haters.”

On the opposite side of the spectrum is Rich Strike, the upset winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby and one of the feel-good stories of the year. In winning the biggest 3-year old race in the nation as the “little guy” with a trainer and jockey who had never won a Grade 1 stakes before – or a graded stakes period, in the case of jockey Sonny Leon – Rich Strike became a household name and a symbol that hard work can still pay off in an industry dominated by the wealthy. 

In short, Rich Strike developed the kind of following that can only be described as just short of rabid. It quickly became reminiscent of the “Chromies” surrounding California Chrome. Rich Strike was on a pedestal, and anything less than heaping praise was unacceptable. It didn’t matter that the things stated were facts that speak for themselves, such as his now 9: 0-0-3 record away from Churchill Downs. All that mattered was that he’d won the Derby and pulled out fourth-place finishes in the Travers (G1) and the Classic.

When did facts become hate speech? When did we as an industry, and society as a whole, lose the ability to look at things objectively? If you think Flightline is an all-time great, that’s your opinion, and you’re entitled to it. Likewise, if you’re a fan of Rich Strike and choose to overlook his lesser performances and focus on what he’s achieved anyway, good for you. Just remember that because someone disagrees with you, it doesn’t mean they hate or disrespect the horse.