What’s up with Big Brown’s conformation? I’m far from an expert - I love horses but haven’t been around them enough to know - and he looks like a nice, stout horse. Is it something that the more trained eyes can pick up?
What did the woman mean by “dancer’s legs” when breeding In Reality x In Reality? (at least TTS made a good mudder when she wasn’t hit in the face by it, 
) Also, it’s ridiculously easy to pick out a Storm Cat; most of them resemble Quarter Horses (imho).
I am optimistic that this recession makes a positive impact on the American Thoroughbred, especially because there may be less incentive to retire a horse to stud too soon. The longer people keep horses in training, perhaps the more we can weed out the best from the mediocre and stop paying so much attention to who’s got the fanciest, most drool worthy pedigree. Problem is that there is still money to be made in the sales ring, which has dominated the sport for too long. People would pay to have good bloodlines, regardless of whether or not the horse can last long in the sport. People want fast 2YOs/3YOs, which always leaves the older horse division depleted of potential talent (except the grass horses; nobody wants grass horses).
I have the enormous Bloodhorse Stallion Register book and you have no idea just how many horses are listed in there that should’ve had their balls cut long ago. Just because he’s a Storm Cat or an Unbridled’s Song doesn’t mean he should be standing even in a regional market. If the market needs a stallion to upgrade mares, then maybe but there are just sooooo many SC and UBS stallions that it just drives me insane. Some people on other boards seem to think that every stallion should be given a chance “just in case we find a Northern Dancer or a Mr. Prospector”, but do we really need that many stallions servicing that many mares? I’d be willing to give up the chance to find a diamond in the rough to keep the American Thoroughbred healthy, fast, sound, and full of genetic variety.
There are many people I know who want more route races. There are others who think that we should do away with all route races, because “they’re boring.” We already have enough (dirt) sprints; isn’t it time to bring back the 2 mile Jockey Club Gold Cup? People also seem to believe that you can train a horse to go a route, but you can’t train a horse to have speed. Well I half-agree with them, but it’s always nice to have a horse with at least some stamina in his genetic makeup.
There was that awful post on fuglyhorseoftheday about the polo ponies, and the majority of the comments were on steroids and medication (and selenium; they figured it way before the pharmacy and the vets did). People began mentioning Winstrol, which was what Big Brown was on - apparently it helps with a horse’s appetite but also makes him/her aggressive. Idk if BB was ever aggressive (off track) but I saw a huge difference in him pre-Belmont and post-Belmont; he was scrawnier, leaner, and he was no longer as dominating. He still won, though, which is a testament to his guts. I never liked him (I tend to dislike Northern Dancer-line horses, pet peeve of mine) but that’s something to be commended.
I did like Da’Tara’s pedigree - In Reality x Ribot is not something you see everyday. Too bad he’s done next to nothing since…but he’d make a decent outcross prospect for all the inbred Raise A Native/Northern Dancer/Nasrullah-line mares. The question is - should he ever be considered for stud duty? Or should he be gelded at the end of his career and rehabbed for another career?
