Another day, another kick in the teeth for fans of this sport! I'll withhold further comment until it is official that they are retiring him, afterall...my feelings about that crowd is well documented.

And how is that different than the types of fields Bernardini has been facing? LMAO

And why run Discreet Cat in the DWC instead of Bernardini? Makes no sense to me... especially if the Sheik's don't care about the $$.

Your concept of "greatness" is a bit more ethereal than mine.

I believe greatness is a function of proven performance ... not of speculation on what might have been. Coulda/shoulda/woulda doesn't count.

As I said in my previous post ... all we can say about Bernardini ... and Lammtarra ... is that they had great 3YO campaigns.

They only faced the best horses available in one random year. The really, really great ones did a lot more ... they beat the best ones around in multiple years ... a much more difficult achievement.

I agree 100% with this post. Thank you for putting it into words that I couldn't...

Amen.......

Everything I have heard regarding Sheik Mo is that he is a "sporting man"... a sporting man doesn't take his supposed best horse out of training to put him in the breeding shed for no apparent reason... JMO.

Taking the money and running ... is perfectly underestandable when the horse is owned by an Average Joe who wants to ensure his family's future financial needs.

I didn't mind "Chappy" retiring Smarty Jones ... I just resented his lying to us about it with that phony "what's best for the horse" PR spin.

The Maktoums aren't your Average Mohammeds ... they've got billions and billions of stolen dollars ... and the syndication of Bernardini won't even amount to a decimal point on their balance sheets.

This just shows a complete lack of class ... and total contempt for the racing public.

If this is true, I can't tell you how disappointed I am. So much for the Sheikh being a sportsman. What, he can't wait one more year for Bernardini's foals? His connections seem to be having such a good time watching their homebred run - I don't understand this rush to the breeding shed when it's clear they don't need the money. Clearly now, even for the Sheikh, it's about establishing Darley/Jonabell as a top stud farm. I don't have a problem with that per se, but he can no longer claim to be a sportsman. I expect Bernardini to win the Classic, but this is a punch in the gut and a real blow to the sport.

I don't think there are any sportsmen left in this game - what a shame. This colt had so much more to give. I'm going to have a difficult time enjoying the run up to the BC now.

Double Amen.

Somebody thinks he is great, because his stud starting fee is rumored to exceed Ghostzappers.

I do agree that it's hard to justify taking this horse away for breeding purposes. These guys make more money before lunch everyday than a standing Bernardini for a year would produce. It's impossible to justify it by saying he will produce other Bernardini's because it's such an unknown once you transfer them to the shed. Besides, look at Saint Liam and others who met their demise off the track.
While the retirement of Smarty, A. Alex, and others was disappointing, I can't say I wouldn't act the same way if the financial opportunity presented itself.

Sorry to say but I have to root against him in the Classic. I don't want to hear for the rest of my life how insanely special he was when he didn't raced for a grand total of 8 starts. A beating or off the board in the BCC would cement that I would never have to hear that....That's 8 starts people. Not 20. He is anything but overraced. This is as bad a decision as it gets.

BB you are being too hard on the Chapmans. He definitely had major issues after the Belmont. Definitely.
Chapman turned down a blank check for him before the Derby, and when agents called on the horse after his debut, at least one agent anyway, they were told nicely by his trainer that he wasn't for sale, and never would be at any price.
Noone was lying, he had issues that made it impossible for him to race again at that level.

is it mean for me to hope Bernardini turns out to be sterile? It'd serve 'em right.

Or War Emblem who would be watching queer eye if he could instead of handling his business.

Is this first-hand knowledge on your part ... or are you accepting someone's word for it?

I find it hard to believe that Smarty Jones could not have returned sound as a 4YO.

If I were Chappy ... I definitely would have grabbed the dough ... but I don't think I would have tried to spin the racing public about it. Nothing wrong with saying, "We need the money ... so we're retiring and syndicating our horse."

I can appreciate this sentiment. To an extent, I agree with u. I would call Bernardini one of the all-time greats.......but wouldn't put him in the Hall of Fame. To me, that is a place that should be reserved for those that combined accomplishments with ability and with durability. I think in order to be a hall of famer, u have to have been a champion in more than one year. But simply on ability, I think that can be seen and judged much earlier. That's not to say that I would put a horse up there after just breaking his maiden or winning some nw2x allowance but if u've demonstrated clearly that u are at the top of the game, even if it's only for one year, that's enough for me. Also, even though he might only be beating the best of this year, if he were to win the Classic, he'd be beating some of the best of multiple years. Lava Man was clearly one of the best of last year and some of the 3yo's that he's beaten this year will be among the best in coming years.