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Originally Posted by Bold Brooklynite
Hail To Reason is a good example of starting early ... and a bad one. "Good" because he stunk in his first five starts ... which began in January! ... then did OK in his next six starts ... then blossomed into a spectacuklar champion in his next seven starts ... a total of 18 starts as a 2YO! ... getting better and better with each one. But he's also a "bad" example ... because he broke down and never raced again.
Hoist The Flag may have been the greatest race horse in the history of the world ... may have ... but we'll never know 'cause he broke down too.
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Hail to Reason did not 'break down' in the usual sense. According to a source that should know (was a racing fan at the time), HtR was working when he stepped on a shoe that had been shed by another horse earlier in the morning. Caused an injury that ended his racing career. As a stallion, he has been a reliable source of soundness and stamina.
Hoist the Flag ran only 4 times at 2, a maiden, an allowance, the Cowdin and the Champagne, all in the space of two months. He came out the next spring, aired against allowance foes at Bowie and ran away from some colts that placed in the classics in the Gotham. Was working when he put a foot down wrong and had a Barbaro-type injury. (I was a racing fan at the time and have written the profile for HtF for the upcoming book "Great Sires of the Century". Shameless plug.)