Last night in Andy Serling's online chat, I specifically asked if Andy felt or had heard any backstretch news about the impact of the detention barn or that any horses had not taken well to the environment. Andy said that although this was not his domain, he had heard nothing and was hopeful that things would continue to be quiet.

Now, one just has to think that the detention barn issue did have nothing to do with this injury based on reports right now. If nothing else, this has put the industry in a positive light with the volume of attention these animals received. Some doubters will suggest that you need the same protections for a $5,000 claimer on a Tuesday afternoon in November, however this time, the sport is being shown "at its responsible best".

much better this was caught and solved so we did not have another big brown type of situation.

Though the race is about 3 million times less exciting now.

Go Cherie and Street Life!

NYRA ‏@NYRAnews
I'll Have Another and jockey Mario Gutierrez will lead the Belmont Stakes Post Parade on Saturday

Well, that's a shame. Condolences to the connections. Some heat and minor inflammation in a tendon. Glad they caught it, very sorry to see the horse out. I doubt they'd be willing to rest him and bring him back next year. Too bad. We'll never know how good this one could be.

:tro:

It's possible I suppose, but sounds unlikely.

This is from long-time Roger Stein show sidekick Aaron Hesz:



You have a guy on Youtube who looks like a backstretch worker, more than 3 days ago, saying he had heard "a rumor of a concussion injury on one of his front legs by the workers of I'll Have Another's barn that might open the possibility of him being scratched at the Belmont Stakes."

I'd believe that before I'd believe the horse got hurt kicking at a bucket with his left front leg.

Wow. It's a funeral procession.

so it is bowed? well, that is a lot different than the 'start of tendinitis' i read about earlier.

This sucks!

I completely disagree with this. Positive light? The NYSRWB basically said to the world that this sport is so corrupt and cheating is so rampant, none of the trainers of the best 3-year-old horses in the country could even be trusted to cook oats for their horses 72 hours before the race. How could that possibly be construed positively by an outsider?

No, it's not bowed.

Oh boy :rolleyes:

Dear ateamstupid : There is a huge difference here between the fan who will tune-in or come to Belmont on Saturday afternoon and the fans like those here on Derby Trail that will show up on next Wednesday.

The casual fan will see the oversight that the industry applies in making sure that these horses are properly handled and prepared. By "industry", the casual fan has no idea what the "NYSRWB" might be, but the casual fan will know that the trainer is responsible for the horse - and that the trainer, owner, and other principles made the call in favor of an injured horse as opposed to chasing a title. That will be positively received by the casual fan.

The majority of the causal fans lost all interest in the Belmont offically at 1PM today. They will come back on the first Saturday of May next year. They don't care about oversight.

The casual fan doesn't give two craps about racing unless the Triple Crown is on the line or a horse breaks down, so yes, it's a benefit that I'll Have Another didn't run hurt, but they'll just pay attention to something else now. The detention barn nonsense cast a pall over the race that didn't need to be there and although I'm sure it had nothing to do with the injury itself, it was a ridiculous precedent to set and a decision likely made in deference to the Times hit-pieces that have somehow managed to mold the racing narrative in the past year. The good will engendered by IHA living to see another day is negligible at best in the eyes of most, who are made to believe more and more every day that the sport is completely corrupt and teeming with cheaters.

True. The only good thing was the track discovering what a disaster for the horses' routines, and the trainers, they created with the barn restrictions.

Hopefully, if they want extra scrutiny in the future, they'll just place overweight, clueless-about-horses rent-a-TSA-cops outside particular horses regular stalls.

Is this insider scoop from for the Justice League of Extraordinary Veterinarians?

Because according to every major news outlet covering this, it apprears that it is bowed, but there has been no official diagnosis yet.

If you know more about this than Ray Paulick, shoot him an email - he hates getting scooped.

How dare you challenge the all knowing one on everything!

Are you serious? There has been an "official diagnosis" announced, which was that via ultrasound they have found there is mild tendon inflammation, "tendinitis".

Which is certainly not the same thing as a bowed tendon.

Who has wrongly called it a bowed tendon? The horse was out for all to see today - there's no bow.

Here's the Paulick Report you are quoting. You might try actually reading it.

That is not a bowed tendon.