:tro:

Absolutely terrible news, they did such a great job with this horse and damn well deserved a shot at history! Really sad for Doug and the connections, and for racing as well. :(

I'm bummed out.

not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but i think there is a chance that people knew about this well before it was leaked to the media...this whole experience has been obviously very fun for oneil and wouldnt be surprised at all if he milked it for an extra day or two...obviously nyra has a rooting interest in the milking also to improve attendance, handle, etc etc

not saying it happened but i could see it happening for sure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6FUR_nhGX8

well, they blew that then, didn't they?! they should have waited til post time to scratch, that way attendance wouldn't be affected. :rolleyes:

O'Neill publicly said he noticed some heat yesterday afternoon, and galloped the horse this am with him being safely held by Lava Man, and then called the vet, who put an ultrasound on it and say, 'Yeah, looks like the start of mild tendonitis. If you run him, we'll hurt the tendon. He needs time off".

Good grief - this is what normally happens with these things. It's the way it normally goes, in good barns that keep a good close eye on their horses.

Look at you, the man can't fool a genius like you. It is all a big conspiracy. In fact the latest rumor is that Jimmy Hoffa's body is buried underneath IHA's stall. :rolleyes:

i wasn't bummed at all, til just now reading the latest on bh. he could return in 3-6 months but

'he's done so much'....no, he hasn't. it's a shame, this more than anything, about racing any more. you win a couple races, and off you go.
i guess there's no point bewailing the current scheme of things....but i feel that less than 10 starts in a career hampers this sport. there's no horse to build up a following-the ones that do get fans only run a few times a year, not enough to keep fans coming back, to get fans 'hooked' on the sport.
bah

Tickets (actual seats) were sold out by the Monday morning after the Preakness.

Just imagine if they had the campaign of Black Caviar...which isn't that aggressive. They would probably demand reporters bow in front of them before the press conference/retirement party.

Crushing reaction to scratch of I'll Have Another
06/08/2012 3:02 PM ET

by Steve Myrick

Shocking. Devastating. Unbelievable. Hellacious. Just a few of the words racing insiders used to describe the drama unfolding at Belmont Park as news spread of dual classic winner I'll Have Another's scratch from the Belmont Stakes (G1) and subsequent retirement.

Trainer Doug O'Neill's stable colors are black, an eerie foretelling of the somber mood as grooms and stable hands arrived at the detention barn, dressed in black hats, shirts, and jackets, shortly after their boss began speaking at a hastily called news conference. None offered any comment on their thoughts, but the crushing disappointment was evident on their faces as they consoled each other.

Near the Belmont Park paddock, Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg was chatting with Triple Crown winning trainer Billy Turner soon after the word began to spread.

Van Berg said this kind of injury is what keeps trainers up at night.

"It will keep you awake," Van Berg said. "It's a crying shame."

Turner had little trouble empathizing with O'Neill. In 1977, he brought Seattle Slew to the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line.

"That's the biggest worry you have," Turner said. "I had a monster horse, coming into this thing undefeated. All the way through the whole campaign I was never confident, because I was always worried that something just like this would pop up. A cough, a nick, a bang, a bruise someplace, and you're finished."

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin echoed the thoughts of many who were hoping the racing game would get a boost from the Triple Crown quest.

"It's not an easy game that we chose," McLaughlin said. "A sad day in racing worldwide. Very disappointing for everybody involved. For the whole industry, a sad day. Luckily he's OK, he'll go and stand stud, and we'll be going for the Triple Crown next year."

Cot Campbell, who heads Dogwood Stable, found the news almost too hard to believe.

"It's so sickening you can't even believe it's happening," Campbell said. "You couldn't have written a more ghastly scenario. The whole nation has been excited about this. This was a big chance to give racing a big boost. It's one of those things, but it's one of those things that's hellacious to take."

http://www.equibase.com/racingnews/article/View.cfm

WOW
 

this suckssssssss:(

The only people benefitting from this scenario would be the scalpers.

I did a radio show interview with an ESPN station here in Louisiana this morning and the third or fourth question was about the detention barn. The host, obviously a non-racing fan said, "This sounds like something they should be doing all of the time?"

I thought that was an interesting question and shows how a lot of people perceive this sport outside our circle of core fans.

I did the AM Sports talk show here today -- the first question I was asked was what I made of the developments of today with I'll Have Another scratching.

I told him -- "Unbelievable. Horse racing fans everywhere got kicked in the balls today"

He brought up "doping" towards the very end of the interview. Interestingly, he phrased his question this way "why is such a big deal being made of doping this year? Hasn't doping been going on forever in sports like cycling and horse racing?"

Exactly right, Danzig. How rich does an owner have to be before the enjoyment of watching his own top-notch horse race takes precedence over making money from stud?

--Dunbar

We've got Shackleford, Caixa Eletronica in the True North, Brilliant Speed in the Woodford.

Quick turnaround for Shackleford, huh?

I don't blame him one bit. Wish we'd get to see IHA again, but I don't blame Reddam here. It's not like this is a perfectly healthy or mildly injured 3yo. It's a tendon injury which requires a long layoff and recovery. If he won't be ready to race til May at the earliest, and even then might not be back to his old form, it's hardly unreasonable for them to want go out on a high note of a dual classic win. What if he came back, won a minor race, then bowed a tendon? How is that worth it to anyone?

I'm holding out for a Square Eddie-type deal. At the tail-end of the next breeding season, when all this drama is rehashed during next year's Triple Crown, temptation will rear it's ugly head. Especially if I'll Have Another proves to be as unpopular a sire as people are predicting.

I don't blame the owner at all for opting for retirement. I don't know what I'd do, but consider that we don't know if IHA will ever be capable of winning at a high level again. For every Tiznow or Silver Charm that came back, we have a Monarchos or Funny Cide that just never made it back to the top. Bottom line for Reddam is that he can now sell the rights for many millions, and he is one who has shown he will put it back in the game. To keep a champion running at 4 or 5, you almost need a situation like Jess Jackson or Robert Lewis where the guy knew he wasn't going to be around to see the sons and daughters run, so why not keep on. At 40, I'd probably retire my horse and buy more. At 80, maybe you roll the dice and see what happens.

I did think of that. Given that he, unlike Square Eddie, is a Derby/Preakness winner makes it much less likely, but hey, stranger things have happened. Always liked Square Eddie.

i don't even know how much they can make off stud with him-it's been quite a speculative subject lately.
the sport has become a breeding game instead of a racing one, with 'wins' earned in the sales ring. it's funny that square eddie was mentioned, he crossed my mind earlier..
also, when people talk about breeding woes, soundness comes up. this horse has had issues since taking to the track, and made a seven run career-is breeding him in the best interests of racings future?? what happened with breeders improving the breed? now it's all about improving the bottom line.

That only makes sense if making money is the only thing that matters, no matter how much money you already have. The owner is a rich man. He can afford to buy more horses whether or not he sends IHA to stud. The chance of him getting another horse as good as IHA is small no matter how many horses he buys or breeds. I'd give 10-1 right now that the owner will never see a son or daughter of IHA win 2/3 of the TC. I'd give 10-1 that no son or daughter will ever win HOY.

When something unusually lucky, in this case having a horse that is the best horse in the country, actually happens, the recipient of the good luck thinks it was easy and will happen again. Whether the owner is 40 or 80, he/she probably won't be racing a horse as good as IHA again.

--Dunbar

You assume IHA himself will be as good as IHA has been this spring. If someone was to dig through the archives on this board they could find me touting his sire Flower Alley as a BC Classic winner. I thought he'd be a monster at 4 after the way he finished up his 3yo season. He was one of the rare ones that came back when a Travers win and fine showing in the BC put enough black type on his resume to make him an intriguing stud prospect, yet he did nothing of note that season.

Owners are required to show a profit 2 of 7 years in order to avoid being called a "hobby" by the IRS where writeoffs are limited. For owners with a large operation like Reddam a stud deal can surely allow him to show a profit for that year.

There was a prominent owner who was selling a bunch of really nice yearlings one year and I inquired with the consignor as to why they were selling when they had always been buyers or raced their homebreds. He said it was a tax strategy where they thought they were going to get a really good return on the sale yearlings and the accountants could make them out to be profitable that year.

Interesting, I wasn't aware of that!

I'll Have Another's short retirement ceremony in the Belmont Winner's Circle..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avw8NDW75Cg