Quote:
|
Originally Posted by King Glorious
We agree to an extent. We both feel like a horse should be able to handle a testing spring and still be around for the summer and fall. But are we living in a fantasy world? How many of them actually DO this? There can be many reasons, some physical, some economic, for why horses aren't campaigned the same way anymore. But let's just look at simple facts. The FACTS say that, since this decade began:
2000-Fusaichi Pegasus, Red Bullet, Commendable
2001-Monarchos, Point Given
2002-War Emblem, Sarava
2003-Funny Cide, Empire Maker
2004-Smarty Jones, Birdstone
2005-Giacomo, Afleet Alex
2006-Barbaro, Bernardini, Jazil
That's 16 horses that have won a TC race. Out of those 16, the majority DID NOT finish their 3yo season. It's not something I'm making up.
Fusaichi Pegasus (Jerome-II)
Point Given (Haskell-I, Travers-I)
War Emblem (Haskell-I)
Birdstone (Travers-I)
Bernardini (Jim Dandy-II, Travers-I, JCGC-I)
|
Yes but they did win those TC races! That is pretty important. Are you suggesting that Point Given or Afleet Alex would have had better overall careers if they had skipped the remainder of the TC races after not winning their respective Kentucky Derbies? Both of those colts came back to win the Preakness and the Belmont which were the biggest wins of their career.
Also, in the case of horses like Empire Maker, Jazil and Red Bullet, as I see it the fact that they didn't go on to win a graded stakes race in the fall actually makes MY point more than it makes yours. Those horses were not pressed into Derby-Preakness doubles. Red Bullet only ran in one TC race, and Empire Maker & Jazil skipped the Preakness like you want them to do with Curlin. They both won the Belmont, but skipping the Preakness did not ensure a successful fall campaign for Empire Maker or Jazil, so why would it do that for Curlin?
If they feel like their horse is healthy and ready now.....I just think they should run him now. The Preakness is an important race, and choosing not to run him doesn't ensure any sort of success in races like the Jim Dandy or Travers anyway.