Be Bullish/Mike Repole

[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."