http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=29592
Wow! Maybe people should get off Lukas and take a look at what Baffert does to some of his young talent! $1.9 million. Maybe the best 2-year old.
you must be kidding...by all reports he was moving smoothly and slowly...took a bad step, and well...another instance hwere we feel worse when a potentially great horse goes down (but we show zero emotion when Marshall Faulk hurts HIS knee). I\'m in that group.
Horses want to run...faster than maybe we would like at early ages, but don\'t blame BB for that. NO trainer brings 2 yr olds along faster than they appear to want it - DWL included.
As the ONE and ONLY Baffert critic out there I have to say this one is tough for anybody to have to take.
Baffert has had a good summer and the comeback he has engineered with Roman Ruler are 1 in a 1,000. Fast two year old with chronic physical problems which derails early starting three year old campaign. You rarely see them come back and win big in the fashion Roman Ruler has done and enhance his value for his owners which is what any GOOD trainer is supposed to do. An incident like this may expedite his exit to the Breeding Barn, but a horse with chronic problems was probably heading there soon anyway.
As far as What a Song it appeared originally that Baffert had drastically overpaid for the horse, just like he did with Sort it Out, in a desperate attempt to keep getting the attention his massive ego needs. But as time went by this looked like a ridiculous buy that may end up working out.
And then this.
No one deserves this, no trainer, no owner and CERTAINLY not the animal. Whenever one is up and suddenly retired all anybody needs to remember is one of these incidents and understand the risks that are involved. People who know little about racing still remember Ruffian, and for all the wrong reasons.
IMHO, Baffert works his horses WAY too hard and FAST in the mornings. He gets many of them to develop early and look like potential worldbeaters, but he has also trained a fairly long list of potential superstars that either broke down or were forced to retire prematurely. That may not have been the case here, but it doesn\'t change his record.
I agree with SC that he has done an amazing job with Roman Ruler this year, but I wouldn\'t expect that to last too much longer.