Ok. Dannie goes too.

Harumph!!

i think you'd better check with the fire marshall first on your occupancy rating!!

jail

[quote=dalakhani]When a condition book says for "non-winners of x dollars", it is only referring to money won from winning a race. Money that is won from running 2nd or 3rd does not count. For example, if you see a first level allowance race for non-winners of $7,500 other than maiden or claiming, a horse that runs 2nd in this race will get about $9,000-$10,000 for running 2nd at the major tracks. He is still eligible to keep running in this same condition even if he keeps running 2nd and keeps winning $10,000 each time. Money won for running 2nd or 3rd doesn't count. Only money won from winning one of those races will make the horse no longer eligible for the condition.

Sure there may be a few horses who are happy at the track, but 99% of them would rather be out in a field running around with other horses. That is what horses are meant to do. They are pack animals.

You hear the rare story about a horse who they say was unhappy running out in a pasture. I would say that is extremely rare. Most of these horses are thrilled to get away from the track. They are thrilled to be out running free in a pasture instead of being stuck in a stall all day.

Red Rum won his third Grand National at 12. And was nearly there for the race at 13, but bowed out at the last minute. In 'chasing, 7 is just the beginning of a horse's career. THe same in eventing. In most breeds, the horse isn't fully mature until 7, although since TBs are bred to mature early, they probably make it by 5, which is why they are still fillies and colts until that age. Like a Larry Bird, a horse can be amazing in high school, spectacualar in college, but becomes great with maturity and experience.

Lava Man has obvious lost his edge in this class of races, so let's retire him and not embarass him because owners are f---ing greedy, and he is gelded.
turn him out to a comfortable life you greedy bastards. HOW MUCH MONEY HAS HE MADE YOU OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, YOU GREEDY THUGS!!!!!

it's scatalogical tripe like the above that makes an owner say 'damned if i do, damned if i don't'.

retire them, and hear how you're no friend to the sport. these horses are to be raced, damn it.

then you dare race one, and you're a greedy bastard. yeah, they've been rolling in dough lately with lava man, right? all those up the track finishes really add to that bottom line.:rolleyes:

He's probably still better than AP Arrow who at least has a tiny bit of breeding value. As long as a gelding is still better than a potential stallion you can't fault anyone for running him. Get him away from O'Neill and to someone that can milkshake him without the inconvenience of the detention park.

if we retired horses so that they don't feel embarrassment, then we wouldn't have many 3yo's males running at this point.

If we retired every horse that couldn't finish within 2 lengths in a G1 we wouldn't have many period. Curlin would have been done after the Derby.

Right. Lava Man only finished about 3 lengths back in the Eddie Read. Hardly a humiliation, IMO.

--Dunbar

........the greatest post of 2008, well done.

i would like to see him try 7/8,s or maybe a 1 turn mile before sending off to retirement. whatever the case this guy has to be considered one of the greatest claims of all time......basically a real life fairy tale.