Be Bullish/Mike Repole

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Jay Frederick

For the most part yes. He and a lot of other trainers squeeze what they can and discard. I'm not defending Jacobson's history, because there is no defending it.

But let's remember how the events unfolded here. Repole claimed him a few months back to retire him. Made sure the media knew about how nice it was he was going to retire him. Then proceeded to not retire him and run him where he could claimed....which he was.

They tried to embarrass Jacobson once already. He should comply with them after that? Just being honest here, not sure I would have either.

There's no embarrassing Jacobson. He showed his colors in the Tour of the Cat episode shortly after he returned to training, and his MO hasn't changed since then.

In just the last six months, we've seen the demise of nine year-old Cherokee Artist, and the retirements of Socialsaul and Be Bullish while Jacobson was racing them at or near the bottom. (As someone else on the site said, why is it always someone other than Jacobson who has to right by the horse?)

[Jay Frederick]

Originally Posted by parsixfarms

There's no embarrassing Jacobson. He showed his colors in the Tour of the Cat episode shortly after he returned to training, and his MO hasn't changed since then.

In just the last six months, we've seen the demise of nine year-old Cherokee Artist, and the retirements of Socialsaul and Be Bullish while Jacobson was racing them at or near the bottom. (As someone else on the site said, why is it always someone other than Jacobson who has to right by the horse?)

You don't need to convince me about Jacobson. I agree with everything you say. I'm no fan of his. Some of his actions have been gross and he's made playing races in NY even harder than normal.

I just don't think he's wrong in this case. If they wanted to retire Be Bullish, they should have when they claimed him the first time.

I guess I find the attitude that it's somehow not dignified for him to be running in the races he is kind of odd. Did Be Bullish tell someone he's not happy? His performance on the track recently doesn't really look like a horse who isn't enjoying themselves. And how do we know he'll be happier not running?

I'm way more concerned about the older horses running up the track for the bottom at places like Mountaineer than I am horses running and winning for 16k in NY.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Jay Frederick

You don't need to convince me about Jacobson. I agree with everything you say. I'm no fan of his. Some of his actions have been gross and he's made playing races in NY even harder than normal.

I just don't think he's wrong in this case. If they wanted to retire Be Bullish, they should have when they claimed him the first time.

I guess I find the attitude that it's somehow not dignified for him to be running in the races he is kind of odd. Did Be Bullish tell someone he's not happy? His performance on the track recently doesn't really look like a horse who isn't enjoying themselves. And how do we know he'll be happier not running?

I'm way more concerned about the older horses running up the track for the bottom at places like Mountaineer than I am horses running and winning for 16k in NY.

I'm ambivalent when it comes to Repole's involvement in this. That said, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in this case when he intimated that, in December, he was looking to run Be Bullish one more time, so he could go out a millionaire. Of course, when Jacobson claimed Be Bullish out of that December race, if that was the "plan," it got altered.

Ultimately, if we want to ensure that the OTTB can have a second act (and not just be a pasture ornament), it is far better to choose to retire the horse a race or two too early than being forced to do it a race too late. And therein lies the fundamental problem in this case: at the end of his career, Be Bullish was with a trainer whose conduct suggests that he either does not grasp the prior sentence or worse, simply chooses to ignore it. That Be Bullish was winning races for Jacobson does not necessarily mean that he was happy and/or sound (as Freddy intimated earlier in this thread).

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by parsixfarms

I'm ambivalent when it comes to Repole's involvement in this. That said, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in this case when he intimated that, in December, he was looking to run Be Bullish one more time, so he could go out a millionaire. Of course, when Jacobson claimed Be Bullish out of that December race, if that was the "plan," it got altered.

Ultimately, if we want to ensure that the OTTB can have a second act (and not just be a pasture ornament), it is far better to choose to retire the horse a race or two too early than being forced to do it a race too late. And therein lies the fundamental problem in this case: at the end of his career, Be Bullish was with a trainer whose conduct suggests that he either does not grasp the prior sentence or worse, simply chooses to ignore it. That Be Bullish was winning races for Jacobson does not necessarily mean that he was happy and/or sound (as Freddy intimated earlier in this thread).

Jay Frederick, I do think there is truth to horses not being happy in retirement and that is a judgment call that Old Friends will have to make to see if Be Bullish needs "a job."