Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin
I know for a fact that Smarty Jones was in no condition to run again. I don't know where you're getting your information from.
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Larry Bramlage, via Steve Haskin, from
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse...s-goodbye.aspx
"
It actually was a quote from noted veterinarian Larry Bramlage that ignited the controversy. Bramlage said of Smarty’s chronic bruising in the joints of all four ankles, “The risks are minor. We bring horses back from this injury all the time.”
Rupert, how do you know it "for a fact". Did you examine him, or are you relying on someone else's opinion?
Robert Clay, the owner of Three Chimneys, later claimed the injuries were more severe. But at the time of the retirement, Beyer quoted Clay as saying,
"
Economics always plays into any decision," acknowledged Robert Clay, owner of Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, where Smarty Jones will spend his stud career. And the economics of modern-day breeding and racing usually dictate that good horses go to the breeding shed as soon as possible.
(
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2004Aug2.html)
Also, the statements from both Chapmans at the time of the retirement did not make it sound like it was a black/white retirement decision. It was a "difficult" decision, implying that it was not 100% obvious:
from ESPN:
"
This has been a very difficult decision," Patricia Chapman said on a conference call with racing writers. "We know that the public, not just the racing fans, wanted to see him run again. But if anything else went wrong, it would break our hearts."
Roy Chapman, who also bred the colt, agreed. "I'm just heartsick about it, but I think we're making the right decision to retire him."
The common ankle injuries are neither life-threatening nor career-threatening, according to Dr. Larry Bramlage, one of the world's most esteemed veterinary surgeons. Bramlage called Smarty Jones' problems "relatively minor" and traced them to the stress of nine races in eight months, including seven in five months from early January through the Belmont Stakes in early June.
"Prognosis for a full recovery is excellent," Bramlage said. "There's really nothing to worry about. He had nine hard races in eight months, and this kind of accumulated inflammation is why athletes can't stay at a peak every time.
"There are no structural problems, and the injury would have cleared up with rest.""
I'm not saying the injury wasn't real. I'm just saying what Clay said at the time. That money played into the decision.
http://espn.go.com/horse/news/2004/0802/1850769.html
--Dunbar