Why was this allowed to happen???

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

See, I guess I'd see it totally different if he broke his leg. As it was though the horse ran well and didn't suffer an injury so it appears he was sound to run. A fluke thing happened after the race and his heart gave out which is sad but nothing to be outraged about.

I'm not trying to express outrage, I'm merely asking if there should be better safeguards for old-timers. How old is too old to race? Doesn't there have to be a cutoff at some point? Weren't there some signs that this guy maybe should have been allowed to enjoy his retirement and not asked to compete in a grueling race?

Given the outcome I don't know how one could conclude for sure he was sound to run. True his legs were not injured but are you really so sure that the heart giving out was totally unrelated to his age? None of us know all the facts about this case but I just don't think its a knee-jerk reaction to question whether its appropriate to races horses under those circumstances at that age.