Contrary Thinking

Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief), who ran in a trio of Grade I races as a 5-year-old last year, has a new home as Amanda Gillman, acting on behalf of Lucky Hat Racing and Eric Bensussen, went to $130,000 to acquire him through the Fasig-Tipton May Digital Sale. Consigned by EliTE as agent for White Birch Farm, the gelding recently came off the bench at Belmont's Aqueduct meet Apr. 25. "He's a lightly-raced 6-year-old with a 2X condition, which is rare to find," Gillman said. "He's such a classy horse and...

With a clearance rate of 91%, the Fasig-Tipton May Digital Sale closed Tuesday with gross sales of $2,229,500. Topping the 69 sold was Blessed Flyer (Dialed In), who hammered for $270,000 to Mike Tomlinson, agent for Mark Farrar and Patricia's Hope LLC. Consigned by Evergreen Equine, agent and sold as hip 1, Blessed Flyer is a 2-year-old colt who captured his debut in a Keeneland maiden special weight Apr. 16. "I'm really excited about the results, especially as we had only a week from the April sale to put together...

Yes, it's purely hypothetical, but imagine a GI Breeders' Cup Classic without the rabbit, Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief). That's a race Fierceness (City of Light) probably would have won. Yes, he got free in the stretch and had every chance to run down Forever Young (Jpn) (Reel Steel {Jpn}) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) but he couldn't get the job done, finishing third, losing by 1 1/2 lengths. But too much had gone wrong for him at that point, and he could not recover. Unlike what happened in the GI...

The horse Contrary Thinking has been pre-entered in this year's Breeders' Cup Classic and, as is generally acknowledged, to serve as a "rabbit" to ensure a lively pace in the race. I do not wish to comment on how Contrary Thinking may or may not affect the race from a handicapping point of view. Rather, as a horse racing fan, my concern is about the negative image his participation casts on one of horse racing's premier races in front of a major audience. The horse racing industry has come a...