Bluegrass Cat retired due to pastern injury

Phalaris1913 · #1 08-27-2006, 09:06 AM

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35053

irishtrekker · #2 08-27-2006, 09:07 AM

AUGH!!!

I can't come up with anything else to say, frankly.

Betsy · #3 08-27-2006, 09:11 AM

Oh that really stinks. Racing would drive me to drink if I liked to drink......I felt bad for BC yesterday, trying his heart out against a superior opponent. He was such a nice horse, gutty and talented. Does this mean he was injured during the running of the Travers or does the fact that he cooled off well mean it happened sometime afterwards?

Just when racing is on a high after this weekend, something like this happens. Sigh.

#4 08-27-2006, 09:12 AM

Its the chance that you take when you run one back off 20 days rest and a lifetime top number.
I'm sure that the Oliver Stone conspiracy club will be on here soon, explaining to us all that they made up an excuse and doctored the x-rays and that hes really fine and dandy, etc.

I think its a damn shame. His Haskell was really quite nice, and he might have been a beautiful four year old.
Best wishes to him in his stud career.

ArlJim78 · #5 08-27-2006, 09:13 AM

The best you can say is that at least he made it back from the race and will survive. Too bad though. What a nice career he had.

Danzig · #6 08-27-2006, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Betsy

Oh that really stinks. Racing would drive me to drink if I liked to drink......I felt bad for BC yesterday, trying his heart out against a superior opponent. He was such a nice horse, gutty and talented. Does this mean he was injured during the running of the Travers or does the fact that he cooled off well mean it happened sometime afterwards?

Just when racing is on a high after this weekend, something like this happens. Sigh.

no doubt it happened in the race. not something that would show up immediately. that's why they always say lets' see how they come out of the race. too often you put up the horse that night and he's fine, come back the next morning early, and stiffness has set in...

Danzig · #7 08-27-2006, 09:46 AM

and i'd imagine pletcher is absolutely beside himself. winstar dragged him into that race yesterday kicking and screaming. i appreciate that they wanted to be sporting...but pletcher isn't into running back that quick. and now this.

it's a damn shame. that horse was absolutely heading in the right direction--at least he's in the record books for his haskell. future races will be compared to his....

good luck in your next career cat. that guys going to be a hot commodity. succesful at two and three.

#8 08-27-2006, 10:08 AM

That sucks man....I liked this horse too.....he was all heart..always tried to the wire....when he got his heart broken by Bernardini he must have been trying and over-extending himself and it caused injury....sucks...

#9 08-27-2006, 10:13 AM

After Elliott Walden's interview at the Haskell I was under the impression that a wet fart gone wrong would send this horse into retirement.

I didn't like him being rushed back on the track so soon and he definitely looked like a tired horse yesterday. What a shame. Have a good retirement, big guy.

miraja2 · #10 08-27-2006, 10:52 AM

He was a good one. 4 graded stakes victories is a nice career, and in the two biggest races of the year for 3yo (Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes) he ran big races. He just happened to come up against two superhorses (Barbaro and Bernardini) in those races, and so settled for nice seconds in both.

jpops757 · #11 08-27-2006, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

After Elliott Walden's interview at the Haskell I was under the impression that a wet fart gone wrong would send this horse into retirement.

I didn't like him being rushed back on the track so soon and he definitely looked like a tired horse yesterday. What a shame. Have a good retirement, big guy.

The quick urnaround is one thing but looking like a tired horse, give me a break. The winner of the race makes all look like tired horses. BC ran a very nice race and was very game he just got beat by the best horse. Anyone saying they could tell something was wrong are just sounding of after the fact. This could have very well compromised his effort but it sure didnt look that way.

Danzig · #12 08-27-2006, 10:55 AM

bluegrass cat looked fine. didn't look tired, pletcher did a good job getting him there. bernardini was better yesterday, that's all.

pace makes the race. bernardini had things his way from start to finish. still hasn't been eyeballed. wonder if he ever will be....

#13 08-27-2006, 10:55 AM

This is the last thing I expected to read today.

#14 08-27-2006, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpops757

The quick urnaround is one thing but looking like a tired horse, give me a break. The winner of the race makes all look like tired horses. BC ran a very nice race and was very game he just got beat by the best horse. Anyone saying they could tell something was wrong are just sounding of after the fact. This could have very well compromised his effort but it sure didnt look that way.

quick turnaround pretty much means a tired horse. Not fully rested, etc. etc.

Betsy · #15 08-27-2006, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danzig188

bluegrass cat looked fine. didn't look tired, pletcher did a good job getting him there. bernardini was better yesterday, that's all.

pace makes the race. bernardini had things his way from start to finish. still hasn't been eyeballed. wonder if he ever will be....

If there is legitimate speed in the race, Bernardini will be a stalker; I suspect that if there is more than one speed, he'll revert to his Preakness tactics (about 5 lengths off the lead). It will be hard for him to be eyeballed simply because he has such a brilliant turn of foot; he's often by horses before they have a chance to respond. However, he'll be meeting really good older horses in the Gold Cup, so we won't have to wait very long to see how he responds to that kind of pressure. Those horses are tough, experienced and talented.

Sightseek · #16 08-27-2006, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danzig188

bluegrass cat looked fine. didn't look tired, pletcher did a good job getting him there. bernardini was better yesterday, that's all.

pace makes the race. bernardini had things his way from start to finish. still hasn't been eyeballed. wonder if he ever will be....

Amen.

The way he ran was proof that horses can run very well off of 20 day layoffs. He smoked the rest of the field, and if Bernardini wasn't in the 3 year old class, he would have easily asserted himself to the top of the class. The short layoff is NOT an excuse for the injury.

randallscott35 · #17 08-27-2006, 11:36 AM

This is not a surprise at all....Why a horse that was sound his whole career needed wraps added yesterday was a clear sign something might be amiss. Plus he was a washed out mess. I was shocked he hit the board. Wraps added from Pletcher is a sign he's trying to squeeze out another race or two out of the horse....This makes perfect sense.

Danzig · #18 08-27-2006, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randallscott35

This is not a surprise at all....Why a horse that was sound his whole career needed wraps added yesterday was a clear sign something might be amiss. Plus he was a washed out mess. I was shocked he hit the board. Wraps added from Pletcher is a sign he's trying to squeeze out another race or two out of the horse....This makes perfect sense.

had winstar not pressed it, pletcher would never have come back yesterday off 20 days...no bernardini, maybe he would have. no doubt the wraps were just one more thing on the list to help out the situation. TAP did everything he could. and now he's lost his best 3 yo. i bet he's beyond p'od.

sumitas · #19 08-27-2006, 11:50 AM

very talented horse but 20 days was not enough between races.

somerfrost · #20 08-27-2006, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumitas

very talented horse but 20 days was not enough between races.

Well, there is less than that between the Derby and Preakness every year so...I think it depends on the horse and about six million other factors! Easy to say now that it was too short...whether it had anything to do with the injury...pure speculation again! I will say this, Bluegrass Cat made a quick move on the leader coming out of the far turn and appeared to get almost even with him then suddenly seemed empty...was it Bernardini simply finding another gear, the Cat hitting the wall, the short layoff, or did the injury occur there? The final quarter was solid but not spectacular...I want to watch the replay of that part a few times!