Quote:
Originally Posted by the little guy
People seem to be somewhat confused as to why a lot of 3YOs retire early. Farms will often buy the rights to top 2YOs with the stipulation that they retire at the end of their 3YO season. It's highly unlikely that that applies to the above group. Now, War of Will being a War Front has value, and he could get a deal ( for all I know he already has one ) but the other three are highly unlikely at this point. Assuming they don't retire due to injury, the others have limited appeal, at this point for sure, and definitely without significant achievement.
|
This is right. This is why California Chrome, for instance, had a long career and ended up winning all the big stakes races he won. The breeding industry wasn't interested in him, so they could race.
And, of course, that's actually central to what's wrong with the sport. Imagine if Barry Bonds, being sired by Bobby Bonds, or Cal Ripken, sired by Cal Ripken Sr., had retired to the breeding shed after a couple of good years in the majors because of their value as sires. Baseball fans would have missed out on Hall of Fame careers. Yet the breeding industry thinks there's nothing at all wrong with doing this with top horses in the prime of their careers.
