It didn't work.

FC won a very respectable 200k in 06, BTW.

He's a gelding. If the horse acts like he wants to run - see if you can find a spot for him. The owners enjoy him and race for fun. FC has always been tough to train and it apparently hasn't gotten any easier to condition him. Tagg is a savvy horseman. If FC backs up again next out then I agree wholeheartedly it's time to retire him. I think at that point even his starry-eyed owners will realize the fun is gone. But if FCs sound and fit, I can't blame the connections for trying one more season. That's forgivable. Continuing on when the horse has definitively spit the bits is not.