"Racing stuck taking a backseat to breeding"

[LoganDimes]

I saw the headline of this Hovdey op-ed on DRF, wondering if someone could summarize his point, solutions.

[Bubbles]

Hey...

Didn't see the article, but I can tell you what the title means. Here goes...

It all started in 1920. A large, bay thoroughbred had just defeated the first Triple Crown winner in history at Kenilworth Park in Canada. His owner, a gray, stout, and rich man, decided to retire his great steed to stud rather than: A) Force him to carry huge weights in his four-year-old season.... and B) Have him injure himself on the track, thus eliminating all breeding potential.

It is now 2002. An equally large and almost black colt has scored electrifying (sp.?) victories in the Illionois Derby, Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Haskell Invitational. However, he will be retired to stud after the Breeder's Cup Classic, as he has been sold to a Japanese breeding farm for seventeen million dollars.

People are now paying more attention to bloodlines, breeding value, and worse-case injury scenarios than actual racing results. A horse can win the Dwyer Stakes, the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Suburban Handicap in an illustrious career, but charge an incredibly reasonable $10,000 at the breeding shed (NOTE-This actually happened to Albert the Great, a great horse with speed to burn.). Money is everyone's top priority (It has been for as long as I can remember.), but owners and trainers should be fans first and own or train their horses that way.

Does this help?

[LoganDimes]

Well, yes I agree, but I was interested to hear Hovdey's solution to the problem.

I was not surprised by still frustrated to hear about War Emblem's retirement.