Idiots on horses are all over airwaves

#1
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VolBeef88

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#1
Wanting to vent a little so I brought this over from the Sports forum and want some thoughts.


They keep talking about the breeding etc of the "modern" Tbreds and that's why they break down and why its been so long since we have had a triple crown. They say now Tbreds are "bred for speed and not for soundness". None of them seem to know a damned thing about horses or racing and have no since of history or knowledge of horses.

Citation won the Triple Crown in 1948 and was not won again until 1973 when Secretariat won it again.

On the "Bred for speed" crap. If these "modern" horses are so different than years past then why do tracks have track records unbroken for over 30 years! Not just at the big races but all over the nation?!

These idiots know so little that it amazes me how such tools can get a gig talking a sport that they know so little about.
 
#2
#2
Using thier logic I think we need to look at baseball player breeding and the MLB triple crown. I mean its been since Carl Yastrzemski won it in 1967. So obviously there is a problem.
 
#3
#3
The Triple Crown is hard for a reason, and God willing, Casino Drive will destroy Big Brown in the Belmont. I would hate to see the TC go to a horse with such questionable connections.

But I digress.

The TB breed most certainly is a changed breed from horses of yesteryear. If you look at photos from earlier TBs (I'm talking early 1900s) and compare them of the TBs of today, you will notice a physical difference in bone structure, etc. For the most part, horses are lighter boned today.

Breeding for speed and precocity *is* what rules the thoroughbred world at this time, and that cannot be denied. For many breeders, it's all about the sales. The flash and bang of a 2 YO going 1f in 9 seconds in a 2 YO in training sale is what sells. Case in point, The Green Monkey selling for $16 million at Ocala (albeit that was more of an ego battle between the Sheikh and the Irish than anything). Get a fast, precocious horse, syndicate the bastard for millions, and there you go. Sooner or later, the horses won't even race at all - they'll be syndicated or sold at birth.

Allowed medications/steroids are a serious problem in the industry, not to mention that certain popular lines are known for producing more regular instances of unsoundness. There are many factors (these are just a couple of reasons) that have attributed to the state of the breed today, and I don't think you will find many true racing fans or those in the industry that will not yearn for the "horse of yesterday."

Many of the track records that still stand from decades ago are for longer distances. You'll see track and stakes records for shorter and sprint distances fall frequently. There was a stakes record set today at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard that equaled the track record. What was the distance? 6 furlongs. Longer distance races aren't carded as often anymore. They aren't en vogue, which all backtracks to the current trends in the industry - speed and precocity. And with the installation of synthetic surfaces at many tracks (i.e. all tracks in CA are now required to be a synthetic surface), those old records will stand forever as they are no longer the standard.

Why was there such a gap between Citation and Secretariat? Who knows. Why has there been such gap between Affirmed and today? Who knows. It's all in the hands of the racing gods, and it's a question that plagues all racing fans, many of whom (including myself), who have never seen a TC winner in their lifetimes. The TC is hard for a reason. And maybe that's the way it should be. What's the fun of seeing this "unattainable goal" reached every few years?

I could go on for forever, but that's my 2 cents.
 
#5
#5
BloodOrange said:
The Triple Crown is hard for a reason, and God willing, Casino Drive will destroy Big Brown in the Belmont. I would hate to see the TC go to a horse with such questionable connections.

But I digress.

The TB breed most certainly is a changed breed from horses of yesteryear. If you look at photos from earlier TBs (I'm talking early 1900s) and compare them of the TBs of today, you will notice a physical difference in bone structure, etc. For the most part, horses are lighter boned today.

Breeding for speed and precocity *is* what rules the thoroughbred world at this time, and that cannot be denied. For many breeders, it's all about the sales. The flash and bang of a 2 YO going 1f in 9 seconds in a 2 YO in training sale is what sells. Case in point, The Green Monkey selling for $16 million at Ocala (albeit that was more of an ego battle between the Sheikh and the Irish than anything). Get a fast, precocious horse, syndicate the bastard for millions, and there you go. Sooner or later, the horses won't even race at all - they'll be syndicated or sold at birth.

Allowed medications/steroids are a serious problem in the industry, not to mention that certain popular lines are known for producing more regular instances of unsoundness. There are many factors (these are just a couple of reasons) that have attributed to the state of the breed today, and I don't think you will find many true racing fans or those in the industry that will not yearn for the "horse of yesterday."

Many of the track records that still stand from decades ago are for longer distances. You'll see track and stakes records for shorter and sprint distances fall frequently. There was a stakes record set today at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard that equaled the track record. What was the distance? 6 furlongs. Longer distance races aren't carded as often anymore. They aren't en vogue, which all backtracks to the current trends in the industry - speed and precocity. And with the installation of synthetic surfaces at many tracks (i.e. all tracks in CA are now required to be a synthetic surface), those old records will stand forever as they are no longer the standard.

Why was there such a gap between Citation and Secretariat? Who knows. Why has there been such gap between Affirmed and today? Who knows. It's all in the hands of the racing gods, and it's a question that plagues all racing fans, many of whom (including myself), who have never seen a TC winner in their lifetimes. The TC is hard for a reason. And maybe that's the way it should be. What's the fun of seeing this "unattainable goal" reached every few years?

I could go on for forever, but that's my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Are they different than one hundred years ago? Sure all livestock and even humans are. Nutrition is just as much a difference as breeding. But these tools that are on the airwaves talking about the "changed breed" are talking about how much TB's have changed since the 70's. And as far as being bred for speed you need to travel to England and visit the Queens stables. These horses have been bred for speed from the beginning. The whole reason TB's were "invented" was for racing. We have had two high profile horses go down in the last few years on TV. Now all of the sudden these idiots are causing even more trouble and they could not be more wrong.

As far as who owns/trains Big Brown I dont care. The horse is a very, very and maybe even a super horse. I will not root against a horse due to his trainer being a pompous a-hole
.
 
#7
#7
Vol Beef your the one who knows nothing. The horses are bred today with aerodynamic maines. Carbon fiber hooves. WOW you are lost.
 
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