karlskorner
10-21-2003, 11:31 AM
Portion of an article by Mike Brunker MSNBC news
RUNAWAY BREEDING FEES
Beyond the obvious fragility of the thoroughbred, the absence of so many top horses is indicative of a serious problem facing the racing indusry and it's headline events.
First and foremost is that runaway breeding fees are underming the sport by robbing it of its top athletes as soon as they accomplish enough to develop a nation following.
Consider the case of Mineshaft, the leading candidate for Horse of the Year honors after winning four straight Grade 1 races, but retired in early October after developing floating chips in both front ankles. Many horses continue to race effectively with such chips, and surgical removal is succesfull in a high percentage of cases. However, Mineshafts owner took the conservative route and retired son of A.P. Indy, saying he didn't want to place him at risk by continuing to race him.
Because the owner and the trainer were openly ambivalent about the prospects of a BC run as soon as Mineshat won the JC Gold Cup at Belmont on 9/27, many suspected his $100,000.00 breeding fee had more to do with ithe retirement than his physical problems.
With a bottom line of $20 MILLION per year, the colt could be bred to the maximum of 200 mares annually, it's easy to see why such skepticism was rampant.
RUNAWAY BREEDING FEES
Beyond the obvious fragility of the thoroughbred, the absence of so many top horses is indicative of a serious problem facing the racing indusry and it's headline events.
First and foremost is that runaway breeding fees are underming the sport by robbing it of its top athletes as soon as they accomplish enough to develop a nation following.
Consider the case of Mineshaft, the leading candidate for Horse of the Year honors after winning four straight Grade 1 races, but retired in early October after developing floating chips in both front ankles. Many horses continue to race effectively with such chips, and surgical removal is succesfull in a high percentage of cases. However, Mineshafts owner took the conservative route and retired son of A.P. Indy, saying he didn't want to place him at risk by continuing to race him.
Because the owner and the trainer were openly ambivalent about the prospects of a BC run as soon as Mineshat won the JC Gold Cup at Belmont on 9/27, many suspected his $100,000.00 breeding fee had more to do with ithe retirement than his physical problems.
With a bottom line of $20 MILLION per year, the colt could be bred to the maximum of 200 mares annually, it's easy to see why such skepticism was rampant.