Barry,

Thanks for stopping by and being candid with us. You get three stars. Uhh... but while we've got you here...

You mentioned Dr. Harthill's "magic," "his undeniable talent," and the idea that you'd be unwise not to use that talent to take your stable "where you wanted to go." OK. But this implies that with a lesser, mere mortal veterinarian - one who's not as aggressive; one who's working on horses for bread-and-butter 10% trainers - you're less likely to succeed! Take away Dr. Harthill from Whittingham and is SUNDAY SILENCE another animal? A lesser animal? Does CAPTAIN BODGIT earn less money with another, less aggressive vet? Yes? Yes? And yes? The vet's the difference? More so than the God-given talent and "natural" development of the animal? Now take Rick Dutrow out of his situation and replace him with any of a long list of sharp, capable trainers WHILE LEAVING THE SAME VET IN PLACE. Will the horses run about the same? Dutrow was replaced this Summer and the barn kept on the solid roll they were on prior to Rick's suspension. The bottom line seems to be: "it's the vets, stupid!" And that's what infuriates us dumb horseplayers because it's tough to read between the DRF performance lines.

Was it really Ralph Nicks that deserved the suspension? Did he initiate that "shot that broke the rules?" Or did his vet advise him, and then Ralph acquiesce? It seems that there's a separation of powers on the backstretch whereby the trainers train, and the vets vet - to a great extent, independent of each other. [I'm thinking of the Patrick Byrne/Greg Fox incident at Saratoga a few years ago where one hand - the trainer - admittedly didn't know what the other - the vet - was doing. When CHARISMATIC shipped to Kentucky years ago and the Dr. worked his magic, his Ragozin sheet line suddenly took a "dogleg left" detour. After his stunning win in the Derby, Lukas said: "Gee, that horse really fooled me!" Hey, he was telling the truth!] Does Todd Pletcher look over the shoulder of his vet every time that person steps into a barn stall? I presume there's communication between the two. But ultimately, the vet's in the stall alone, "working on" the horse. If any fingers are to be pointed towards that barn, like in the latest situation, shouldn't Todd's vet be the one fingers are pointed at?

Finally, a blast from the past. Team Valor won the Santa Anita Handicap with the 51-1 longshot MARTIAL LAW in 1989. Good for you, and the animal's up-and-coming trainer, Julio Canani. You're geniuses. If he paid over $100 that day, do you recall how out-of-sync that performance was relative to his prior races ON THE SHEETS? I won't ask you if MARTIAL LAW would've passed the Japan Cup test. But I'll be your best friend if you tell us whether MARTIAL LAW was given a little visit prior to the race by Dr. Harthill. Say it ain't so.

JTC