Wilburn retired from racing

[toussaud]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/66155/victors-cry-wilburn-acquired-by-spendthrift


wow this pisses me off. Wilburn was really just starting to come into his own and was going to terrorize the handicap division next year. t his makes no sense to me. A grade 1 handicap win was all but certain next year for him.

[ManU918]

This really sucks. I have followed Wilburn from his first start and he was just starting to come around and they go and retire him. What a bunch of shit.

[PhantomOnTour]

Aw great.
He was good enough to defeat Shackleford and Caleb's Posse in the Indy Dby, who seem to be two of the better 4yr olds heading to 2012, and NOW they retire him!?
A Gr1 win at 1m or longer in 2012 is not an unrealistic expectation for a colt like Wilburn, but nevermind.

Coulda been a pretty nice dream trio in the Met Mile....Shack, Wilburn and Caleb's Posse

[Robert Fischer]

he may have accomplished something if he had a chance to race more...


guess being a nice son of bernardini makes him too big to fail :mad:


;)

[Spalding No!]

At least the stallion-hungry B. Wayne Hughes didn't gobble up Tapizar, too.

Why couldn't he have bought The Factor instead?

[jelly]

This will help bring more fans to racing. :( :rolleyes:

[thespaah]

This really sucks. I have followed Wilburn from his first start and he was just starting to come around and they go and retire him. What a bunch of shit.
Problem with increasing numbers in yearling sales is we lose great horses to the breeding shed. It just does not make any sense for owners to risk their horses to the grind of racing when they can make a sure return on investment by turning racing stock into breeding stock.
It sucks sideways and it adds another kick in the balls to racing.
Thing is, if the best horses are not around to race beyond 3 or 4yrs of age, interest in the sport will continue to decline.
Now I am going to hear it from some of the owners on here. Have at it.
I'll save you the keystrokes. We agree to disagree.

[rastajenk]

Wilburn? Isn't he that guy on TV with Kornhusker?

I'm afraid he never rose to the level of affecting attendance and handle.

[toussaud]

Problem with increasing numbers in yearling sales is we lose great horses to the breeding shed. It just does not make any sense for owners to risk their horses to the grind of racing when they can make a sure return on investment by turning racing stock into breeding stock.
It sucks sideways and it adds another kick in the balls to racing.
Thing is, if the best horses are not around to race beyond 3 or 4yrs of age, interest in the sport will continue to decline.
Now I am going to hear it from some of the owners on here. Have at it.
I'll save you the keystrokes. We agree to disagree.
I agree. It's kinda like a see saw. If you have great success at sales, more stallions are sapped up and the racing gets watered down. When sales are down, horses stay in training longer and racing is better, but at the same time, when sales are down, wagering is usually down so the whole time everyone is complaining about how bad everything is.


In both cases, the shed runs the show.

[Tom]

Another one bites the dust.
Hard to call them "race" horses anymore.

[FenceBored]

I agree. It's kinda like a see saw. If you have great success at sales, more stallions are sapped up and the racing gets watered down. When sales are down, horses stay in training longer and racing is better, but at the same time, when sales are down, wagering is usually down so the whole time everyone is complaining about how bad everything is.


In both cases, the shed runs the show.

The market tanked in the Fall of 2008, so we should have seen the better racing these past three years. How did I miss the improvement amongst the males in the Handicap Division? Could someone point me to the replays?

[sammy the sage]

guess being a nice son of bernardini makes him too big to fail :mad:;)

that's it in a nutshell...they just doubled his daddy's stud fee to 150k...so here's clone/cheap shot wannabe trying to cash in on the coat-tails...

[Robert Fischer]

that's it in a nutshell...they just doubled his daddy's stud fee to 150k...so here's clone/cheap shot wannabe trying to cash in on the coat-tails...

right on Sammy


you know, objectively... Hughes and Spendthrift made a pretty sharp acquisition here.

[Doza]

Coulda been a pretty nice dream trio in the Met Mile....Shack, Wilburn and Caleb's Posse

Dream trio? Gotta dream a little bigger than that.

[dnlgfnk]

Lamenting the departure of a three yr. old whose major accomplishment is the G-2 Indiana Derby is a statement in itself that, in order to maintain interest and attract new fans, the game needs to be seen as a gambling, rather than sporting venture.

In googling "Star studded field", one of the first racing entries was last year's Haskell Invitational, featuring such historical champions as Super Saver, Lookin At Lucky, Ice Box and First Dude.

I long for the days of 3 or 4 multiple stake winners to be matched up each weekend also, but the 1970's, and Jess Jackson have passed by. Maintaining enthusiasm for the game will have to come from the next exotic opportunity rather than the next rematch.