I’ve watched the replay of Charlie May’s 2021 Meadowlands Pace over and over again. The fault Dear Brutus, is Southwind Gendry’s. He got “steppy” (meaning his stride wasn’t a normal stride, almost like he was going to go off stride) just coming to the top of the stretch. At that very instant, Charlie May was making his move to the outside for his stretch run.

Charlie May was forced to check hard and impeded the horses also moving up for their stretch drives. This event occurred at the worst moment in the race when all are looking, scrambling for position.

I failed to see that very night why Charlie May was taken down, and no I didn’t have 2 cents bet on him. Now 1.5 years later it was reversed and now reversed again.

I don’t know what else the driver could do. Even Gingras said of his horse, Southwind Gendry, “his horse slowed down at that moment.” What he refers to as “slows down,” was he got “steppy.” With that action, at that precise moment, Charlie May was stepping on the gas.

Now if you’re driving along and the guy in front of you slows down at the moment you look to pass him on the right, your start over to the right and he starts coming over as well. Now what can you do? In a car you could jam on the brakes, but this is a horse, so he continues to move to the right. But now the horses that were behind you on the right come up on your bumper and it becomes a mess.

Who’s at fault? Southwind Gendry, call it “slowed down,” I say “steppy” started the chain reaction. Southwind altered his course too. He didn’t continue straight, he drifted out, slightly, but still, and forced the horse behind to alter their course.

2021 Meadowlands Pace winner Charlie May.

Bill Hartenstine / Farmingdale, NY