Retiring stars early like ripping magic carpet from beneath a fan’s feet

by | 06.11.2012 | 11:17am
  • click above & share!
    X
  • click above & share!
    X


  • click above & share!
    X
  • click above & share!
    X

Mary Simon of the Thoroughbred Times asks the question of horse racing: “Where is the excitement now, in this year of our Lord, 2012?” She watched the excitement of barely contained crowds cheering on Affirmed and Spectacular Bid as they competed as 4-year-old handicap horses.

Every year, writes Simon, horse racing fans hope that this year is the next great prospect and will be the next to bring crowds to the track. Unfortunately, the budding stars leave too soon to have that impact. Horses that made a name for themselves as 3-year-old racers seldom race to age four now. I’ll Have Another went the way of many other 3-year-old stars. He rose to prominence with his victories as a three year old, but, because of his early retirement, will soon be forgotten.

Simon writes: “When our most promising young runners disappear in a blink, it can leave a fan staggering and confused—like having a magic carpet ripped from beneath your feet just as you think you’re going to fly. How often can this happen before one stops daring to dream?”

» Read more at Thoroughbred Times
New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry
  • Ida Lee

    Very well said. I remember the unbelievable excitement of Secretariat’s run and a couple of years later Ruffian shows up and she was wonderful and beautiful and talented and puff…next thing you know, she’s gone in such a horrible fashion. It took years for me to get back to watching horseracing. This sport is not for the weak of heart. If early retirement due to injury was the only thing we had to worry about, it would be an acceptable risk to your heart. But when a favorite or loved one is euthanized, it just tears you up. I think this is the top reason why horseracing has problems keeping fans and attracing new fans. You want the fans to love the horses but then, they can be here today and gone tomorrow for whatever reason.

  • ziggypop

     That and the slaughter issue.

  • Battlerbilly

    Funny Cide wasn’t retired early and there was no rally around him (except for his last start at FL). In fact, because he was a New York bred and he never really moved forward from the Triple Crown, it could be argued there was actually backlash.

  • Rachel

    “Staggering and confused?” They need to go get a real life if a horse retiring can traumatize them that much!

    There are a number of truly good horses that have run for a number of years, like Awesome Gem, etc and we got to see “Z” run an extra year, Curlin, lots of good and even great horses.
     
    A lot of the trouble (to me, it seems) is with today’s turf writers especially and newbie fans…they seem to fawn over one horse to the exclusion of every other horse, plus they demand brilliant perfection every single race and they absolutely despise and vilify each other’s favorites…and woe and betide if a horse loses…then it’s trash.

  • Me

    Two words answers this dilemna.

    Pinhooking and inbreeding

  • MamaKin

    Yeah….Right. Because everyone WANTS to retire their horses early ’cause the breeding biz is SO lucrative these days!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/HBI6ED45S7XH4IOHVURB2VXRE4 Chris Lowe

    Funny Cide was a gelding, obviously he would not be retired early excepting injury and abatement of competitive talent.

  • Its All About Me

     Sorry, but its three words: Echo Nom Icks.

  • Ben K McFadden

    That’s why O’Neill remedied IHA’s tendonitis with fast gallops on deep tracks?  Am I on message?

  • Barney Door

     ”Staggering and Confused”

    She was referring to herself and the Preakness Crowd

  • Bakemyshorts

     Give it a rest.  Racetracks have never been a major source of horses for the slaughterhouses. Have some ended up there? Yes.  It would be a good thing if no horse ended up there, but as long as there is a market for horse meat, there will be slaughterhouses, somewhere.

    Focus your PETA pride on the disposable pleasure horse market and the killers who buy in quantity at livestock auctions.  You won’t find many horses with tattoos, and the ones that have them passed through a riding stable after the racetrack.  Look for the guys in the baseball caps and cowboy hats.  More horses end up in the livestock auctions because they are old, sick, abused, or unwanted by show people and backyard owners than because of dirtbag trainers.

  • Barney Door

     Please explain “gelding” to Blatherbilly.

Twitter

follow us on twitter »