Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin
The reason I'd like to see an extra week between each race is not so we would get more TC winners, although it would result in more TC winners. The reason I'd like to see the extra week is because I think the current TC schedule is too hard on the horses. I don't like a series of races that will often times ruin a horse forever. It only took the first two legs to end the careers of Bodemeister and I'll Have Another. Mine That Bird was never the same. Smarty Jones and Afleet Alex were finished. The list goes on and on. Sure there are occasionally horses that run great in all 3 races and come out of it relatively unscathed. But I think that is the exception to the rule. The trainers are well aware of this and that is why so many trainers drop out after the first leg, skip the middle leg, or skip the Belmont. If there was an extra week between races there would still be guys that would skip races but I think the percentage would drop a little bit. If you put an extra 2 weeks between races, I think the percentage would drop much more.
The bottom line to me is that the TC races under the current schedule have ruined a large percentage of the horses that have run well in all 3 races. I don't think it should be that way. Yes, the TC should be demanding, but not to the point where it ends so many careers.
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Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex and Bodemeister all had injuries that would have healed and allowed them to come back to racing. We know why they were retired. I'll Have Another as well. Mine That Bird was only good for 2 weeks in his whole career anyway. His post TC races were still far better than his Pre TC races.
Let's be honest here the TC ends careers of the best horses because of the low bar required to become a hot stallion prospect these days.