Ruffian: Burning from the Start

[sumitas]

dna might answer that.

espn about 5 years ago came out with a SPorts Century documentary on Ruffian...try and find that.

her breakdown that i viewed on tv drove me essentially out of horse racing for 25 yrs until a dear friend got me back into it. i was so gun shy i had no stomach to watch hardly any races. but i'm enjoying the sport for the most part the last 6 years.

a side note. Foolish Pleasure, who ran vs Ruffian that terrible day never had good books at stud. it has been said that was due to the bad memories he evoked in breeders about that fateful day. his pedigree was wonderful and he really deserved better.

I hope Bernardini is not painted with that same brush. Time will tell.

[irishtrekker]

Sumitas, I hadn't even considered that possibility. I certainly hope that wouldn't happen to Bernardini - in a way, I'm guessing it wouldn't be the same, since the visceral reaction to the survivor of a match race might be different...and as callous as it sounds, Barbaro didn't die on the track (or immediately after, as in Ruffian's case), so whatever happens, the psychological link between the two horses may be lessened with time.

[paisjpq]

superstition is a horseman's best friend--second only to money...
no one will avoid Bernardini because of Barbaro.