Dana666 Wrote:
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> Can't help but think two races in three weeks,
> shipping across the county and back again, was
> just insane. Do they even know their horse? It was
> very unfair in my opinion, asking him to do too
> much. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Keen Ice
> today, but this horse is way bigger than just
> cashing or not cashing a small bet in one race.
> The purse of 1.25 million is also paltry compared
> to whatever they'll get for syndication. So why
> not pick one, Haskell or Travers??? That kind of
> experience can ruin a horse mentally. I'd be very
> leery of his next couple races, if he even races
> again. You want him in the Breeder's Cup? You can
> have him. I mean, he looked like a completely
> different horse in the flesh today compared with
> the Haskell. And on NBC they said he gained
> weight??? I doubt that. I told Victor Espinoza on
> Social media Monday I thought this race might get
> him, and, strangely, he was wasn't angry with me
> (later I thought I shouldn't have said that to
> him). He agreed this would be his toughest race.
> Am I over analyzing here? Maybe so, but since I
> began following English racing and I realize how
> bad Lasix really is for horses, I'm more aware of
> these things. That Haskell though it looked easy
> was a tremendous performance, and in the heat
> especially a horses's energy is drained by the
> effects of Lasix. You don't give that kind of
> performance and come back three weeks later and
> repeat it. Just makes me wonder what the hell they
> were thinking?


The horse has been syndicated already, so what they'll get (they meaning Zayat) was decided before this race. If you're going to rant, you should at least be aware of that first because it's been discussed everywhere. Jerardi even wrote that Coolmore offered Zayat a lump sum to retire the horse now, because any losses or injuries might affect Coolmore's future earnings from breeding. Coolmore, not Zayat---his time to enjoy the horse is now.

As far as what "they" were thinking, They were thinking they might have an all-time great horse and if they didn't run the Travers it would be a mark against him. So they tried it. And they lost. It happens. Happens to almost all of them, actually.