If you don\'t like a particular horse(whatever the reason),never ,never take your poison to such an extreme level as was shown on both boards during Fog\'s tenure.
You don\'t have to like someone elses\' success,but common courtesy to all the connections should be a cardinal rule when venting ones\' jealosy of anothers noteriaty.
These two guys lived the dream we all wish for,and did it in a manner that was both exciting and charming to experience.
In August, as Lost in the Fog approached the gate for the King\'s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga in New York, an ESPN reporter edged over to Aleo and asked one of the worst questions ever enunciated into a microphone. \"You played minor-league baseball,\" he said. \"You battled in World War II, the Battle of the Bulge. How does this compare to those lifetime moments?\"
Said Aleo: \"How am I going to compare this great horse, winning eight in a row, with the Battle of the goddamn Bulge? Forget it.\" End of interview.
great connections.
great horse.
big loss for the game.
The guy was offered a lot of money for the horse early on and turned down all offers. I doubt there is any second doubts on his part because as he stated, \"I\'m 80+ years old, what do I need more money for.\"
When the grim day arrives, Aleo may feel like the life of a family member has been taken out of him.
Hopefuly not so much so that it also takes the life out of him.
Absolutely - people can get unduely carried away and become very heady while not really knowing the situation -
many times reacting before thinking . It\'s perfectly normal to get emotional about things sometimes ,
but I can learn something today if I keep focused on the \" bottom line \" - the \" big picture \" ...
I could not agree more with King David.
Furthermore, the manner in which people jumped on this horse\'s bones when he started to lose, was repulsive. No matter what he was destined to do this year, he had an absolutely stellar 3yo campaign.
One more thing, as this case proves, nobody ever knows what is going on inside a horse.
When I first started writing about Thoroughbreds, one of my editors told me about a horse in England that lost some close races, after which he, too, was classified as a bum with no heart.
The horse died and an autopsy revealed that he had a badly impaired lung.
FYI (and not to blow my horse, because I never got the job done), I did carry an offer to Harry Aleo last summer for more than $8.4 million, which he turned down. I doubt that Mr. Aleo will miss the windfall, but I agree that the emotional imapct could be potentially harmful to the man\'s well being.
I wish him and the trainer the best of luck in recovering what promises to be one of the most painful losses in recent memory.
Barry Irwin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > I could not agree more with King David.
>
> Furthermore, the manner in which people jumped on
> this horse\'s bones when he started to lose, was
> repulsive. No matter what he was destined to do
> this year, he had an absolutely stellar 3yo
> campaign.
>
> One more thing, as this case proves, nobody ever
> knows what is going on inside a horse.
>
> When I first started writing about Thoroughbreds,
> one of my editors told me about a horse in England
> that lost some close races, after which he, too,
> was classified as a bum with no heart.
>
> The horse died and an autopsy revealed that he had
> a badly impaired lung.
>
> FYI (and not to blow my horse, because I never got
> the job done), I did carry an offer to Harry Aleo
> last summer for more than $8.4 million, which he
> turned down. I doubt that Mr. Aleo will miss the
> windfall, but I agree that the emotional imapct
> could be potentially harmful to the man\'s well
> being.
>
> I wish him and the trainer the best of luck in
> recovering what promises to be one of the most
> painful losses in recent memory.
Poignant Story. Guess 8 million doesnt buy what it use to. Obviously racing the prospect meant more to Aleo than the cool millions. Team Valor wanted him for 8 big ones?
I would have sold, never get too attached to a horse, especially one bred as non descriptly as LITF.
Still, he was a good 3YO sprinter. Not a great sprinter. A good 3YO sprinter and the Breeders Cup was his moment of truth. Maybe the Big C stopped him that day too.
Never fell in love with that horse. Aimed at him three times and beat him twice. The going got tough when he stepped up out of class. That said, he did win 10 in a row. Thats a big string these days.
RIP
Man\'s greatest and most commond handicap:
\"Contempt, prior to investigaton.\"
RIP LITF
It\'s a tough one for everyone closely involved to and with Lost In The Fog . It almost got my friend in 2001 who was diagnosed 2A which sometimes can be a borderline advanced stage at that point ...
My wolf shep dobbie \" Trigger \" succomed to cancer a couple years ago and a much different circumstance surounds animals with cancer and it\'s fatal well be before matasterizing in their systems , so early detection may not have made a difference for the horse\'s situation being more tenable in so far as treatment or options are concerned and possibly could have only hastened inevitability .
Have also thought that it was ironic that incidences of cancer in the equine are so low (a vet interviewed on TVG quoted some miniscule percentage, something like less than 1% of all horses die from cancers) yet so many equines are felled by colic, which is basically a bad case of gas.
On a brighter note, Barbaro, who many including myself were quick to write off, continues to make a miraculous recovery from his racing injuries and laminitis.
The deities CTC calls the \"Racing Gods\" can be quite fickle.
richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have also thought that it was ironic that
> incidences of cancer in the equine are so low (a
> vet interviewed on TVG quoted some miniscule
> percentage, something like less than 1% of all
> horses die from cancers) yet so many equines are
> felled by colic, which is basically a bad case of
> gas.
>
> On a brighter note, Barbaro, who many including
> myself were quick to write off, continues to make
> a miraculous recovery from his racing injuries and
> laminitis.
>
> The deities CTC calls the \"Racing Gods\" can be
> quite fickle.
In my lifetime betting, the only 3YO sprinter that may have been as good was Housebuster. Now, my memory is poor at this point and I may be overlooking a few. But I don\'t think Housebuster was undefeated to the end of his 3YO year like LITF.
They are amazingly strong and fast animals, but at the same time they are as delicate as can be. They can live to be over 30 years old and they can go in a couple of days at 2 or 3. Over the years those in the game have made analogies to them lasting as long as fresh strawberries. He\'d certainly done enough to earn a shot at a pampered life in the breeding shed. It\'s a cruel twist of fate to deprive him of a chance to be immortal through his get. It ended too soon, and is all the more reason why warriors like Perfect Drift and Super Frolic have to be revered.
Tough break and well put Richie. The Racing Gods can be capricious.
Lost in the Fog wasn\'t undefeated at the end of his 3YO season. He was off the board in the BC Sprint.
JJP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lost in the Fog wasn\'t undefeated at the end of
> his 3YO season. He was off the board in the BC
> Sprint.
Correct, he was undefeated in his restricted class. I\'m not sure Housebuster was undefeated versus three year olds.
As far as the Travers goes, its coming up a little off the entries. Of course the Haskell came up light too. Have to wait for the past performances but it doesnt appear to be much of a betting race.
Anyone know what happened to Sinister Minister and Sweetnorthernsaint? Really thought those two would make some waves.
ctc