Quote:
Originally Posted by Parkview_Pirate
PVal is one of the prime examples of humilitainment in racing. Maria Borell would be another. There's a fascination with someone who achieves great things in any profession, and then falls to the depths of despair. It's human nature to look at them and, among other emotions, feel grateful we're not in their shoes.
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I understand this feeling very well. I was an early defender of Borell. She appeared to have an amazing story, she had gotten good publicity for the sport, and she seemed to have managed Runhappy well. And it looked like Runhappy's owner was using highly technical legal arguments (which I have experience with in other areas) to avoid fairly compensating her for her good work with Runhappy.
But, of course, it is clear from what came out that not only was I wrong to offer any defense of her but that she turned out to be far worse than anyone ever knew.
To judge these situations properly, sometimes you have to separate yourself from your feelings. In P. Val's case, the issue of riders who have serious substance abuse problems that they don't promptly report to the stewards and the owners, so they end up getting up on horses under the influence and possibly compromising the sport's integrity, is simply a separate, public policy issue, from any compassion we may feel for P. Val as a human being.
Even with Borell, I still have some compassion-- she is obviously something of a wreck who wasted real talent both with horses and with the PR associated with their management, and terribly screwed up. I would want nothing more than to see her turn her life around. But she obviously can't have a trainer's license....
