Summer Bird Retired

[BluegrassProf]

Champion Summer Bird, who catapulted to stardom in the 2009 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), has been retired due to complications of a fracture suffered last fall prior to the Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-I).

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/57320/champion-summer-bird-retired

[salty]

I think I will always remember this horse. I hope he It was my first time going to see the Belmont and my horse that i picked in the derby comes through to win the Belmont. I had the exacta, tri and super because i boxed summer bird with charitable man, dunkirk, and mine that bird for all three. then i kicked myself for forgetting the big win bet on him since he was 11-1. :faint:

I hope he sires some great winners.

[WinterTriangle]

Wow. I felt like the breath got knocked out of me for a minute.

Sort of like when I first heard he was injured. Was really looking forward to seeing him in the BC or somewhere down the road for his 4 year old racing. I remember worrying about him going Arkansas to KY, to NY, to NJ, to NY again, to CA, then on to Japan.... a whirlwind.

[Jasonm921]

I would have like to have seen him run this year. Makes you wonder what the falling out between Tim Ice and the ownership was originally about. Was it that he said that he will never be the same and they couldn't accept that? We'll never know.

[Jasonm921]

I just reread that article...did the writer say that he was a throwback to the durable horses of yesteryear? He had nine races! Like everything else today emotion rules over logic. I enjoyed summer birds run (june-first week of october) as much as anybody but come on, this horse is as modern (with respect to durability and spacing between races) as any horse that is running on any given saturday around the country.

[andymays]

I'm sure this will start an argument but I have to say it and I'm not entirely sure that the Breeders Cup over Pro Ride didn't contribute to the injury.

Two horses with a ton of ability that raced in the Breeders Cup on Pro Ride despite some evidence that it might not compliment their styles (In the case of Careless Jewell) or that Summer Bird was working poorly (not necessarily time wise) over it (In particular his first couple of works as noted by Clockers on the scene). When horses with the heart of champions race over a surface like that without handling it they try harder than is healthy for them.

I thought it was a mistake for both connections to go to the Breeders Cup and I really thought it was a mistake for Summer Bird to go to Japan after a tough campaign. I would love to hear the story from Tim Ice in particular whether or not these were his decisions or the owners decisions. Just reading between the lines I would guess that it was more the owners decision.

Maybe the Pro Ride race contributed to the injury maybe not. Just had to throw it out there.

[cj]

I'm sure this will start an argument but I have to say it and I'm not entirely sure that the Breeders Cup over Pro Ride didn't contribute to the injury.


I would tend to think you are right.

[PhantomOnTour]

There was a thread about his Japan trip last year and some really objected to it. Was it necessary? Too much after a tough 3yr old campaign (he debuted in March or February or something like that...now Japan?)

Don't see the fascination with some foreign races (besides $). Other than Dubai, the Ascot meet, or the Arc I don't have much interest in foreign racing.
They feel the same way about us. We have the Breeders Cup and the Arlington Million; outside of that the foreigners probably couldn't care less about American racing.

He shouda stayed home imo. No need to ship a 3yr old to frickin Japan.

[OntheRail]

andymays... I had the same thought when I first heard of his injury. Plastic moves differently then dirt under the hoof. This is a big blow to the older division this year.

[BillW]

I'm sure this will start an argument but I have to say it and I'm not entirely sure that the Breeders Cup over Pro Ride didn't contribute to the injury.



And this would be the first retirement caused by injury occurring in the last race ran? ;)

[andymays]

And this would be the first retirement caused by injury occurring in the last race ran? ;)

Of course not. In my opinion getting Summer Bird to run his best on Pro Ride is akin to having him run on turf. I think most people would agree with that.

Going to the Breeders Cup was a bad idea especially after many of the clockers said he wasn't handling it all that well in his workouts. Then going to Japan seemed like an audible and maybe an owner who needed the money and/or the glory and pushed him into one race too many rather than giving him a rest.

[joanied]

I agree with andy and others about his campaign last year. I was so bummed when I read he's been retired...I beleive he would have been a tremendous force in the handicap division, and the Classic would be right up his alley. This really sucks.
I think everyone here was stunned last year when they took him to Japan...it was a stupid thing to do, and IMO, that is when the relationship between Ice and the owners probably began to fall apart.
I believe Ice told them it was a dumb idea to go over seas after all the colt had done since the Derby...some well deserved R&R, and they might still have him racing...and I agree with andy that the Classic last year, or rather the training up to it, was his un-doing...wouldn't surprise me one bit if his injury got started while he was training...IMO, you cannot ignore the clockers (unless your an owner, then you generally ignore everyone)...I imagine Ice saw the same thing and may have advised against going in the Classic too...the fact that Summer Bird sustained his injury practically right off the plane in Japan kinda tells us it was already starting, and thr trip and the training broke it to a head...if I recall right, his injury was announced just a couple of days after arriving in Japan.

What a damned shame!

[WinterTriangle]

I'm sure this will start an argument but I have to say it and I'm not entirely sure that the Breeders Cup over Pro Ride didn't contribute to the injury

Running a horse over any surface that they are known to dislike, and have indeed, been taken off early in their career for just that reason, is an odd thing to do in the first place.


did the writer say that he was a throwback to the durable horses of yesteryear? He had nine races!

Looking over the US race records, 9 races may indeed denote a "durable horse." Scary, isn't it?

[Stevie Belmont]

Ha—I knew he was not coming back as soon as we heard about his leg injury.

[csperberg]

if I recall right, his injury was announced just a couple of days after arriving in Japan.

Summer Bird arrived in Japan on the 19th of November and he was injured on the 29th.

[joanied]

Summer Bird arrived in Japan on the 19th of November and he was injured on the 29th.

I stand corrected.