California Chrome out; Will return for full 5yo season

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

That was Steve Coburn who shot his mouth off. Perry Martin eventually pulled rank and started making the decisions about things like Ascot against Coburn's and Sherman's wishes. It wasn't really that "they" took the risk. Perry did. I don't think taking a horse like Chrome to Ascot is insane, but it's not some team effort to come to the best decision in Chrome's case. Each owner has gotten criticism for different reasons. Coburn's was deserved I felt. I can see both sides of the argument with Perry's.

Coburn shot his mouth off in the heat of the moment and then later apologized. I guess lots of horse racing fans have never shot their mouth off in the wake of a disappointment. Or maybe those fans have just been lucky enough never to have had their big disappointments occur while a dozen television cameras are pointed at them. I just don't get the vitriol spewed at these guys.

Reminder of how sorry Coburn was:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...list/10224725/

As Sherman is quoted as saying in the USA Today article, "The horses aren't cowards and the people aren't cowards. … I think it was a little out (of context) myself. But, hey, he was at the heat of the moment. And don't forget, he's a fairly new owner. Sometimes the emotions get in front of you. … He hasn't been in the game long and hasn't had any bad luck."

Now Coburn and Perry are learning how heartbreaking the game can be. I don't question the decisions (2nd in the Dubai World Cup don't suck); I just feel bad for them, the way I feel bad for any owner who loses a good horse to injury.

(Though I do hope Perry's obsession with getting what he thinks Chrome is worth at stud leads to him coming back at 5. )

And, for what it's worth, in the wake of Chrome's Belmont, I had several friends ask me, "So why ARE new horses allowed to run in the Belmont?" Sigh.