Say goodbye to a four-year-old campaign. Another one bites the dust. 
Oh for crying out…I mean, I think Pryo is really awesome, but for heaven’s sake, he hasn’t even gotten to the Derby yet!
Feh.
OMG!! Come on people!! His 3yo season has BARELY begun!! Gah! I hate that part of the industry!
EDIT-i just re read it and it said that he might go onto a 4yo season depending on this year. "After the Breeders
I saw that, too. I really like the colt, but now I hope he doesn’t do anything for them >:D
[quote=“rainee”]
EDIT-i just re read it and it said that he might go onto a 4yo season depending on this year. "After the Breeders
[quote="Fleet Feet Thoroughbreds"]
[quote=“rainee”]
EDIT-i just re read it and it said that he might go onto a 4yo season depending on this year. "After the Breeders
This is getting to be ridiculous.
I agree! Wasn’t taking three out of the four top three year olds last year enough?! Really! But maybe, maybe since they have three new stallions from last year they’ll give Pyro a shot at a four-year old campaign. Unlikely though, especially if he does well in the Triple Crown or BC. Poor Pyro! Another innocent three-year old has fallen into Darley’s claws! lol 
Its more like the industries get rich on a nice colt scheme.
Yeah, somehow I don’t see the Darley stud as being particularly in danger of ever being satisfied with the number of nice colts they have at stud. I imagine what will determine if Pyro gets to run as a 4yo is going to be the success of Curlin this year and what they set his stud fee at next year. If Curlin can race successfully this year and then go to stud for $500,000 or something (imagine he’ll be at least that if he can do well in the World Cup and possibly repeat in the BC Classic), then they might decide it’s worth it to race Pyro another year because otherwise everyone will want to breed to Curlin instead of Pyro 
.
So, no pressure or anything Curlin. Seriously though, I hope Curlin does amazing this year, because he’s basically going to be the industries chance to break out of the ‘retire them as 3yo’ mentality for the next 10-15 years I imagine. That’s just my opinion, but I imagine all the stud owners are going to be watching his career this year very very carefully.
Poor Curlin, he’s got more than just the pressure to win on him, he has the pressure to show the world the right way to race a horse. I think he can handle it though-GO CURLIN!
I never really understood the whole, rush to pay the 1 million dollar stud fee for a freshman stallion, just cause he won the Kentucky Derby or whatever. It’s not like their first crop gets sprinkled with some kind of magical dust that’s going to make them all champions.
I’d rather put that money into an older stud that’'s proven he can throw good foals. The stud fee almost always drops dramatically within a few years anyways and then you can breed to them for a more reasonable price. I mean who’s paying these ridiculous fees anyways? Seems crazy to me. 
My guess is the people that are paying are the people who don’t plan on keeping the foal, the foal will go to auction where people who are crazy to own one from the stud’s first crop will pay top dollar…once a few crops race the stud will either be a)proven and keep a high stud fee or b)proven to be crappy and foals won’t fetch as much.
I’m with you though, could I afford to breed TB’s I’d go for a more proven stud since I’d keep the foal. 
Hmmmm … maybe they should put like a “stud-cap” on the stud fees for the first year or two. Maybe that would keep them from retiring these horses after 3 races >:D lol
Given the goal of racing is to make money (either by betting or racing), I doubt that would ever happen.
I know, I was just kidding It would be nice if there was some incentive to keep them racing a little longer though.
I think Curlin will have an amazing four year old season for the following reason: There is no older handicap division in dirt racing, which is a shame. I miss the good old days (i’m 24, so you we’re talking mid '90’s here) when your BC was all about the older horse. Look at Skip Away! Awful stud, but amazing campaigner.
As a breeder it sickens me to see these colts breeding Feb 1st of their four year old season. Most of these bloodlines don’t get a chance to prove themselves on the track. The industry complains constantly about how TB’s are not as sound as they use to be, they can’t handle the strain. Well how are we supposed to know how a horse’s longevity if you retire it at 3 after 8 starts and breed it to 110 mares (which is ridiculous).
A great example of this is Songandaprayer. He’s a big-time son of Unbridled’s Song. The Unbridled’s Song line is notorious for soundness problems. Prayer was the '01 winner of the Fountain Of Youth. I believe he retired at 3 with an injury of some sort cause I don’t remember him in that year’s Derby after finishing second in the Blue Grass. His progeny while blazing fast, can’t handle it, and come up with health issues constantly. His '05 Barretts 2YO Sales topper What A Song (purchased by same stable as Silver Charm, for 1.9 million) broke down in a morning workout late in his 2YO season. Another son, Songster, stakes quality sprinter for Darley (imagine that) was reinstated to training last week. The 5YO colt had been retired last fall and began stud duty this spring in New York. It was recently discovered that Songster has fertility issues and failed to impregnate any of the 60 mares bred to him this season. His stud fee was $10,000. Lets hope he doesn’t befall the same fate as Coolmore’s George Washington. Needless to say, I avoid Songandaprayers, and basically the Unbridled’s Song line like the plague.
When I breed my mare, I look for studs with Value. Those are the tough old boys who aren’t getting the hype cause their not what’s in this month. I want a stallion that ran competively and retired sound. I also lean towards stallions with several racing crops on the ground. I love it when a stallion’s first crop is 5. You can really see what they’re capable of, especially when they prefer distance. Stallions on their 4th crop of racing age are forgotten heroes, and usually tend to be the most reliable.
After the Blue Grass he went out in the derby and set the fastest fractions to date in the race I believe (the first half went in :44 4/5). He finished 13th and then made his last start in Jersey Shore Breeder’s Cup Handicap in which he finished 3rd. I think they planned to race him after the Jersey Shore but he got injured so they retired him. I’m pretty sure he was plagued with unsoundness all through his pitiful 8 starts.
I think the Jockey club should put some kind of quality control on race horses. Like they have to race x times before retiring.
hmm but that may create an overracing problem…
I agree…But the question is what/how. It seems to me that racing has become more of a business than a sport, unfortunately. 