Great question...I hope they didn't hurt him trying to make the BC....he was a bigger horse and one with a pedigree to be better the older he gets - and I cringed when they hammered on him so early for his pedigree and physique on those hard west coast tracks....If I were to bet, I'd say they either screwed up one of those big, immature joints on him or bucked his shins....there was NOTHING about his pedigree and build that said precocious....but I'm sure Merv wanted another BC Juvy contender and who is going to tell Merv that he can't do that with a horse of this type...nobody was going to....