Union Rags out for remainder of.. life
 

@DRFOakford: #UnionRags will miss balance of '12 season due to tendon injury, Russell Jones says. He just got word from trainer M Matz while at #julysale

@DRFOakford: Jones says #UnionRags owner evaluating options in light of tendon injury.

@DRFOakford: #UnionRags team to provide statement 2moro a.m. detailing injury from vet Kathy Anderson at Fair Hill.

Damn it :wf

unfortunate but overrated

Well hell if IHA can generate 10 million....

"Minor tendon injury" seems like an oxymoron. Unlike I'll Have Another, a horse like Union Rags has a vacuum to fill in the market after the death of his sire (and grandsire, Dixieland Band in the same year). No KY sons of Dixie Union in Bloodhorse's Stallion Register. Dixie Chatter's in CA for $5,000, but even though he's a G1 winning 2yo, it's not at the level of Union Rags who was very nearly a champion and then goes on to win the Belmont. High Cotton's in FL for $5,000.

UR's got a strong female family, he's physically impressive, and he's precocious but ran in the classics. I wish he had cracked a 100 Beyer, but 95 and 96 were his tops right? I'm sure Mrs. Wyeth would love to keep him going, but tendons are dicey propositions as we saw with IHA, and I don't see how a stud farm won't get a truck full of money backed up to the barn asap.

Lane's End stood Dixie Union. You'd think they'd be interested here if they want a Dixie Union option in KY. They've got Grasshopper, but he's in Texas.

With a gun to my head and the choice of sending my mare to UR or IHA, everything else being equal, I'd probably roll the dice and go to IHA.

My thoughts are that UR is slightly more likely to be a useful stallion, but IHA has a much bigger chance of being a big time stallion. Mostly because UR has about a 0% chance of being huge.

UR has small lesion in his high suspensory,which leaves him with a better chance of returning to the track and hopefully not getting zoomed off the the breeding shed.


http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing...-injury-071112

He's done enough. I'm no vet, but a lesion is a lesion. How fast could they possibly get him back? If they bring him back, aren't they looking at next summer? What's the point?

its not like he is that good anyway.

All lesions are not the same regarding future prognosis. This is an easy and minor lesion to heal, but yes, it would be six months before he could be back - ligaments just take a long healing time.

Not everyone is eager to discard what they have, and go on to the next hot young hopeful prospect. Some still do race for fun. I personally like horses having long careers. But long careers include plenty of months off for routine R & R, and special time off for healing of the normal aches and strains of being an athlete.

no, he hasn't. with the rush to the shed with so many horses, i'd rather they made the attempt to bring him back. plenty of time in future for him to stand at stud.


edit--just saw this in the bloodhorse article:



'The prognosis is four to six months off, and there should be no sign of it after that. He'll go to New Bolton (Medical Center) today to have another ultrasound."

Prognosis is good for the colt, a homebred son of Dixie Union owned by Phyllis Wyeth, to return to racing next year.'



Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...#ixzz20KrIte74

Retires- errrrr rests- with some of his reputation which is better than I think he would have had if he kept racing and moved on to face older horses later in the year.

He's done enough . . . .

IMO I think he will be back; he is the best the owner has had, she is old school, Michael Matz wants him back...he has more to prove although he is top 2 year old, successful at 3, and is gorgeous with pedigree for success at stud; hope I am right, :).

Attachment 2013

FTFY

I know, they have to be crazy to bring him back and race him at the ripe old age of four...................:rolleyes:

The issue is not if they are going to run him next year just how many 50k opt claiming events will he get dusted in before he is retired

2013 version of Drosselmeyer?