I do not really follow horse racing with the exception of watching the Triple Crown races. I am very disturbed to read stories like This. The only reason I can think of for them to even be thinking of running this colt in the Kentucky Derby is greed. I just can't understand why they can't give him time to really, truly recover instead of pushing him so hard. Maybe I just don't understand horse racing, but to me this just seems greedy, greedy, greedy!
People whine and cry when a race horse breaks down. They claim how they loooove that horse etc. They dont love the horse. They love the money that horse can bring. If they loved the horse they wouldnt run it as a baby. Period.
Egads, Jayne, I'm with you! I don't care what sort of newfangled means vets may have for stabilizing a quarter crack, I still think the horse shouldn't be worked hard until it has had time to heal. I'm glad to hear that he isn't running, but sorry to hear that it was even considered!
Jerkens is a respected trainer who has never been suspected of running a sore horse or one that even hinted at being "off". Unlike a few others I could name. Simply deciding he is a jerk based on one story about a quarter crack that he showed he was concerned about seems a bit over the top.
If it was all about greed and the Derby spotlight, they would just have patched him and run him anyway. Does the name Big Brown ring a bell? Now THAT trainer I have always had issues with...
And Pepipony - you are wrong. People in the industry DO care about their horses. They live and breathe them. Maybe some owners are not as connected, but the vast majority of people working on the backstretch care a great deal about the horses... or maybe you are right - and all the tears and distress I have personally seen when something goes wrong is just a bunch of hooey. As are the 20 hour days of backbreaking work... all just for show.
NOT.
I have worked with many racing people in the past 20 years. I cannot think of one who would did not care deeply about the horses.
Should 2 year olds be run? No. But that was established a hundred years ago and would be a hard thing to change. Even 3 year olds are not mature yet.
Equally - should 2 year old QHs be competing in those high-priced Futurities? No. At least in racing the 2 year olds are carrying light weight. There is no weight limit for QH exhibitors....
