Talk:Exterminator (horse)

I'm an occasional user/viewer of Wikipedia, and was surprised (and saddened) to find that the entry for Exterminator—one of the finest horses in American thoroughbred racing history—is largely plagiarized from other sources (including one that is essentially written for 7th-8th graders) and contains a couple of whopping errors, including an implication that horses are gelded because of their lack of beauty or visual style. (The website where the author found this information mistakes the phrase “course appearance”--where a horse was/is gelded because he didn't perform and act well on track—for “coarse appearance.”)

You also should be aware that changing a few words in a paragraph of a copyrighted piece does
 * not* remove its copyrighted status.  The shifting of words between the paragraph below

“It rained heavily the morning of the Kentucky Derby. The track was muddy and deep. Exterminator hadn't had a race since he was two years old. They bet against him at 30 to 1. Exterminator was in the back of the pack until they neared the turn for home. He picked up the pace and flew down the track passing one horse after another. As he neared the wire he never lost his drive, relentlessly passing Escoba, the last horse between Exterminator and the roses. He won the Derby by a length!”

...to the entry in Wikipedia

“The morning of the race, it poured with rain. The track was deep in mud. Not since he was a two-year-old had Exterminator raced, and none of his races could be considered a suitable prep for the prestigious Kentucky Derby...Exterminator went off at odds of 30-1. Exterminator raced at the back until the field turned for home, then he turned it on, flying down the track, passing one horse after the other. Nearing the wire, he was coming on stronger than ever, taking on Escoba, who was all that stood between Exterminator and the roses. He won the Derby by a length.”

does not qualify as an acceptable paraphrase. The history, weather conditions, and race history of the 1918 Kentucky Derby do not realistically fall under the purview of “common knowledge.” The ideas are presented in the same order, with small changes in wording. It's a textbook case of unacceptable paraphrasing.

I'm on vacation with my laptop and don't have time to review your other articles, but you should take action on this particular entry and at least review others that the “writers” and “editors” have worked on.

Race Starts
If anyone has read the Eva Jolene Boyd book on Exterminator [Thoroughbred Legends #18 ] she took great pains to research all the races he started. Her book asserts that he infact only started in 99 races not the 100 popularized in error. The Daily Racing Form ("DRF") which has kept meticulous records - does not have evidence to support 100 starts. Per her book he ran in an exhibition alone in September 1922 at Hawthorne Race Course (Illinois) - but was not given credit and in fact is dinged with an "unplaced" element on his record.

Per the Boyd book the DRF after review of the evidence will now officially list 99 starts for Exterminator and leave the 50-17-17 as-is

Accordingly shouldn't this be updated in his records? --Kellsboro Jack 20:30, 17 April 2007 (UTC)


 * No, not until it is recognized by most of the sources. If only one person has done significant research, and it isn't widely popularized, then it will have to wait. I have changed it accordingly. IP changes  the box  00:00, 20 November 2007 (UTC)


 * And it is arguable that that race does, in fact, count. More research should be done on this. IP changes  the box  00:01, 20 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Hold on, there is no book with that ISBN! IP changes  the box  20:40, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

The book in question - which is a biography of Exterminator and is as indepth as any that exists on him - has two international standard book numbers (ISBN): ISBN-10: 1581500874 ISBN-13: 978-1581500875  Perhaps you should pick up a copy of it as it makes for some wonderful reading. --Kellsboro Jack (talk) 21:05, 10 December 2007 (UTC)