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Originally Posted by Cannon Shell
Give me a break. This isnt some non-descript 8 year old and I am not some bleeding heart. But if I was writing a script on an anti-horse racing story, this would be about the perfect scenario to have presented to me. IF he were to have an untimely end on a racetrack, please tell me that this wouldnt look horrific? An old gelding, retired and so far gone that a retirement home is already booked and publicly announced, is suddenly put back in training and winds up dead on the track. Yeah try to spin that one positive. The difference between this horse and others like John Henry was that JH was never retired and brought back. The difference between this horse and Brett Favre is that Favre wont get hurt bad enough to have to be put down (no matter how hard Scavs roots for this). The difference is that this horse was the centerpiece of the 2007 Breeders Cup Marketing blitz (Lava Man vs Bernardini) yet is still competing in late 2009/2010 despite not having won an important race since June of 2007. The difference is that he didnt exactly go out on top and is coming back to clean up some unfinished business. The difference is that he still has 9 year old bones and he tries hard, very hard. The difference is the last time these connections "unretired" a horse, she was soon dead. There is almost no upside to this story but there is a whole lot of downside. And no, that isnt my opinion or feeling, it is the reality that we now live with in horse racing.
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I am sure the owners want to earn. I never thought it wasn't about money. More importantly, if they can race the horse sound there is abosultely nothing wrong with racing the gelding if he returns to his better days. So Brass Hat shouldn't run because he is only 90% of what he was?
So if you were in Oneil shoes you would not train Lava Man? I certainly would..He is a horse and IF he is souind WTF.. As for the mare, it happens every single day at some track, training ground or paddock. Horses get killed for every stupid reason in the book. The fact that their mare was a victim may or may not be related. I would assume she would have been a fairly valueable broody so I guess they f'd up royally and would have possibly be even more cautious with Lava Man.
This really is a lot to do about nothing if Lava Man is sound and returns 90% of what he was. I never thought the horse was anything but a juiced game SOB anyway, so I could really give a darn , but geez who really cares if they think he will be seviceable again? Is Funnycide coming back?lol