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Originally Posted by Balletto
I dont know how you can wish "bad" upon the connections for making a safe business decision. Until you're in the position and you're shelling out money and watching each race with breath held hoping your horse returns safely, I wouldnt be so quick to JUDGE.
Yeah, maybe they do have more money than God, but he loves his horses and wants the best for them. And maybe, just maybe, the best for this horse is retiring now. You dont know the quirks and possibly physical ailments or weaknesses... stop assuming its your place or right to make such an ignorant comment.
You disagree with the retirement... GREAT... voice your opinion... we all will... thats what the forum is for and the right of all fans... but dont sink so low to ignorantly voice personal attacks and ill-wishes upon someone you dont know, especially a person who helps keeps this sport alive, more so than any other owner.
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Balletto, do you think they are retiring him due to injury or ailment?
Yes, it's a safe business decision. Though the safest business decision would have been not to ever run him at all; why, he could have broken down this past year! Come on...
I'm well aware this is a breeding business, first and foremost, and the sport aspect is basically to take money away from suckers, but not having any stake in breeding, I'm here because I like watching horses run. So I can be disappointed, and I can hope that retiring him turns out to not produce the superhorse that they're expecting and guess what, that doesn't make me an evil person. Because I'd like to see breeding take a backseat to racing. Not going to happen, but I can't help but be chagrined when a talented, young and as best I can tell, sound horse is rushed off to the breeding shed. It's a bummer for the fans.
Worst case scenario, what would happen to the Sheik if he ran Bernardini at four and God forbid, Bernardini broke down? Is the Sheik any poorer? No, because he's got all of us throwing oil back as fast as we can- he'll always be richer than any of us can ever fathom. Of any owners in the world, they are the ones who can afford to lose a valuable animal and not have it affect their financial stability. I'm of the opinion SJ was retired because the owners couldn't keep up with the insurance payments-- how much would he have had to win each year just to pay for that? I'm sure he was injured and worn out, but I think the insurance was a huge factor-- and I don't blame them. I understand the small-time owner retiring a horse and taking the money. These guys DON'T NEED IT. Decades past you had people breeding to race; these guys are breeding to breed. Boy, that's exciting. Woo hoo. Can't wait.
So no, I don't feel bad about hoping their hot prospect doesn't pan out in the breeding shed, because I don't get any thrill out of imaging Bernardini rutting away. I get it watching horses run. And again, he's a fracking horse. He doesn't care what I think of him; he's going to have a lovely life in retirement (a year too soon, as far as I'm concerned) so my ire is purely directed at a what I think is a poor sporting decision. And quite frankly, the Sheik doesn't give a rats' ass what I think of his decision, either.
So again, I say, pbbbbbbtttt.
