If his legs were in fact “inherently” fragile, was something wrong with his breeding? Last summer Arthur Hancock told Congress that the lack of proper regulation within the industry had led – practically forced – breeders to produce fundamentally unsound horses. Was Wanderin Boy, bred by Hancock, one of these? Should a horse who has broken his legs multiple times even be racing at 7?

Was Wanderin Boy on any injury-masking medications? I know that Nick Zito has the reputation of caring for his horses, but I also remember his “no comment” when asked at the Belmont about steroids. Did questionable drugs (whether legal or not) enable Wanderin Boy to keep racing despite his brittle bones?

Did the track’s condition contribute to his death? A couple of your readers seem convinced that something is wrong with the track at Aqueduct. If so, wouldn’t Nick Zito be aware of the track’s poor condition? And if he did know, should he have sent Wanderin Boy to run there on those fragile legs?

In fact, if something is really wrong with the track, should any trainer send a horse there? Should the NYRA allow the track to operate if its condition is responsible for needless deaths and injuries?

Why aren’t the same questions being raised about Wanderin Boy’s death that would be raised if he had broken down in a high profile race on network television? He wasn’t a superstar but he was a good horse and I would like to know whether his death was purely accidental or whether any of the many problems plaguing the industry was responsible.

Ray, I’d love it if you did a segment on the condition of the Aqueduct race track. I lost a horse on that track a few years back. Two horses died that day, the following day the jocks refused to ride and the track super eventually admitted to the press that the track was in sad condition however there was no money to fix it up. There was an extreme number of horses that died that month and I remember sitting in the stands and it was topic of conversation amoung the track help/trainers. There is much fear for the little guy to speak out though.

Is this still the case? If so, why is this not at the forefront of the news? You couldn’t pay me enough to go back to that track.

RIP Wanderin Boy…you showed a lot of guts and heart throughout your life and you will be missed. Condolences to all the connections, and especially Nick Zito. Hoping for the best for Springside.