Those of you who were around here a few months ago might remember there was a bit of an uproar when the Ragozin camp tried to take credit for the success of Musique Toujours in the Sunshine Millions-- turned out they had nothing to do with it, as became apparent in several published reports.

So anyway, a couple of days ago a post by Len Friedman appeared on the Ragozin board:

"Lava Man burns up Hol.

Congratulations again to longtime SHEET user Doug O'Neill on Lava Man;s crushing 8 3/4 lengths win (minus 1/4!) in the $750,000 Gr I Hol Gold Cup. Claimed for $50,000 off of promising SHEET numbers last summer as a three year old, Lava Man is the second O'Neill claim in recent years to hit the jackpot..."

This was followed in later posts by the posting of the Ragozin "SHEET", a discussion of the pattern on Ragozin at the time of the claim, how he fitted in the Gold Cup, etc.


So yesterday I'm reading the DRF, and I see an article where it says that one of the owners, Steve Kenly, is the one who decides on the claims, after he "pores over published material to narrow potential claims".

Hmmm... Steve Kenly, Steve Kenly... wait a minute. Could it be the same Steve Kenly who has been getting our data since back when it was hand written? Did he really switch to Ragozin? I sent an e-mail congratulating him, telling him Friedman was taking credit, and asking if it was true. His e-mail response, which I post with his permission:

"Thank you first of all, and you should know from my use with Thoro-Graph over the last decade that I DO NOT read the Ragozin sheets. It is funny how many people take credit when a horse gets good. I am 100% responsible for claiming Lava Man with the use of Thoro-Graph along with the Racing Form, videos replay and years of watching horses I came to the determination to claim Lava Man.

In the interviews after the race I said I used Thoro-Graph as a tool when I considered claiming LM. Truth be told I have looked at Rags over the years when someone around me has them and I personally cannot make heads or tails of his numbers.

With the blessing of the racing gods, I hope we can keep this horse going and I'm sure there will be a chance for me to more emphatically set the record straight so Thoro-Graph can get some credit and not Rags".


Thank you, Steve. Congratulations.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2005 05:57PM by TGJB.