Orb Retired, to Stand at Claiborne in 2014

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

I thought Shug showed incredible honesty during the triple crown trail. Admitting that he thought Orb was an Aqueduct spring horse and only joining the triple crown trail after having his hand forced.

If he says he's completely sound, I believe he's honest.

Orb raced in the Autumn at AQU, winter at GP, all 3 triple crown events, did a lot of traveling, I'm not sure why it's supposed to be so disconcerting that he was freshened at Fair Hill, when Fair Hill is supposed to be the best place a horse can go for a freshening.

What benefit would they have not disclosing an injury? A lot of excellent sires weren't sound horses. Danzig had 3 races and never even made it anywhere. Mr. Prospector had injuries. Storm Cat had injuries and never had a decent campaign. A. P. Indy had a couple of physical setbacks, was scratched from the Derby.

It's tinfoil hat stuff to speculate he was injured and they concealed it. It's almost as bad to speculate that he was as good or better than Easy Goer.

I dont believe he was injured. As a trainer there is little more frustrating than when your horse goes off form with no readily apparent reason. If there is an injury or persistent issue like sore feet then you have something to deal with and once you get the issue under control good horses will generally return to form or something close to it. When you can not find an issue or there is no real pyhsical reason why the horse is under performing you do things like send the horse to Fairhill to be freshened up and get hyperbaric treatment in hopes that solves whatever the hidden issue is. Obviously outside of a decent Travers run it didnt work with Orb.