It was refreshing to hear the candid words of champion jockey Oisin Murphy after he got trapped in a rails pocket which gave Kameko no chance of escape in the Sussex Stakes at the tricky Goodwood track in the UK. He immediately conceded making a “jockey error,” and apologized to connections for the potential multi million pounds in breeding rights lost as a consequence of the miscue.
Perhaps he was unduly harsh on himself as these things happen in racing. And the sensational winner Mohaather also overcome a seriously troubled trip to pass the entire field with a dramatic move inside the final 300m to win brilliantly so may have proved much the best in any case. But taking personal responsibility with such candour, as Murphy did, is admirable.
Excuse making is a common bail out for jockeys, trainers and punters in the Sport of Kings. The issue is not so much whether the excuse is legitimate or not but, by habitually indulging in them people duck responsibility which prevents learning from mistakes.
One of SA’s greatest ever tennis players, Cliff Drysdale, who rose to No 4 in the world during his prime in the mid 60’s, and is enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game, acknowledged that the best advice he ever received came from grizzled, senior players in Johannesburg. They told him curtly, when he was a budding junior, that they weren’t interested in sad post-mortems so “never to make excuses.”
That still applies as valuable counsel – sportsmen are more likely to come up with smart solutions or work on improving their own game if they cut out self-deceiving, elaborate alibis which only serve to deflect responsibility.
In my various media roles and as a racing manager I’ve heard a remarkable array of excuses tendered to explain away bad or unforeseen outcomes. Whilst most of the explanations are perfectly valid, some however are delusional and preposterous. My key distinction – if the insight can help towards solving a problem, then all well and good.
Punter are especially notorious for blaming every- body but themselves as a coping defence against misfortune and losses. Sure, much of what happens out on the racetrack is completely out of the control of intrepid horseplayers who wager their hard-earned cash so passionately. Randomness, chaos and luck all play a major role in race outcomes and affect each punter’s bottom line.
The trick is to handicap ourselves as objectively as possible, keeping records of our performances as bettors so that we can emphasize our strengths and correct any weakness in our methods/strategy. Work on what you can control – ultimately all a punter can do is come up with well- researched selections, then make wise-at-the-time betting decisions and structure wagers as intelligently as possible to capitalize when our opinions prove right.
By cutting out excuses and choosing not to play the blame-game, we are more likely to improve our play over the long term and ultimately derive more satisfaction from our own endeavours. Maybe some high profile, sore-loser soccer managers could benefit from heeding this gentle advise, too!