Quote:
Originally Posted by bobphilo
I have heard an ugly rumor that Juve victor Game Winner will be retired since with his pedigree and BC win he would already be earn more at stud than if he raced at 3 and even won the TC with it's 25 M bonus.
If true, this is a sad commentary on the sport. We have gotten used to top horses being retired after their 3YO season losing their army of fans to the sport. Then we had Justify not even completing his 3YO season. Now we may have Game Winner retiring after his baby season, disappointing even more potential fans and not even running in the Derby and TC races, which frankly are the only races most people even care about. Imagine any other sport surviving if all their top athletes retired as pre-teens. Yes the sport is increasingly becoming purely a breeding business but if the sport dies the business dies with it. They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg in the name of short term greed.
I don't know if the same rules still apply but in Germany the Jockey Club knew what they had to do to protect the survival of the sport and no horse could stand at stud unless they had raced at least 2 full seasons drug free.
|
I saw that over there too. They said it was his breeding, but I'm not sure why a Candyride is all that impressive, even if AP Indy is his dam sire.
But the price floated is about what all top 2yo breeding rights sell for, he's right there with Nyquist.
Despite all of the hubbub about the rarity of a TC, the rarity of an undeafeated KY Derby winner is greater and based on a longer sample size. Nyquist is in rarefied air, he is one of only 3 horses in over a century to win the Derby on a 7 race win streak, most had less than 4. Additionally, only 2 horses have pulled off the BCJ-Derby double, this is becoming as rare as a TC. Again, Nyquist pulled it off. The odds are against Game Winner.
Also, he does not fit Baffert's Derby winner's profile. His Derby winners tend to start after the BCJ or race only 2 times or so as a 2 yo, going on the shelf by September. Game Winner already has logged a lot of furlongs for a Baffert Derby hopeful.
Lastly, doesn't the Derby have its own version of the Masochistic rule starting this year, with OCT testing starting 6mos out?
If 4 months makes a career, doesn't that mean Game Winner has had a career? 4 for 4 and all graded, which has to count more than Justify's MSW and Allw....just saying, becareful what you gush over.
Fillys and Geldings and cheap horses, those are only ones to care about now.