Ben still trying to end losing streak.
Well, at least he didn’t get injured today, right? :ambivalence:
[QUOTE=beaujolais;8903108]
Well, at least he didn’t get injured today, right? :ambivalence:[/QUOTE]
Getting old sucks, although I did have a friend once tell me that he thought getting old was a privilege as he and I could still stand upright and certainly better than the alternative. Maybe we should have the same thinking about Ben.
http://www.drf.com/news/nicaradalic-rocks-upsets-maryland-million-sprint-bens-cat-finishes-last
Getting old sucks)
So very much - for all species/(horsemen included).
getting old was a privilege . . . better than the alternative)
Well, Ben can be a fine & spectacular riding horse for someone, if that suits him, or live in King’s field. He is still crazy gorgeous and, certainly, a most interesting guy.
I think it is, for some, harder on the mind to retire from your craft, when one’s identity has been, very much, athletic endeavors. Seems like he’d welcome a new chapter in life, though.
Despite that, it was a lovely fall day at Laurel. Decent turnout, some fun things - Clydesdale hitch, hunt riders and hounds, pony races (I think, but I got there after that). There appears to be a new and nice dining area open. I love how you can get right next to that beautiful and historic paddock and watch them get saddled. It was a windy enough day to blow away some of the cigarette smoke, too.
King pondering retirement for Ben.
http://www.drf.com/news/leatherbury-ponders-whether-its-time-retire-bens-cat
I guess we are all not surprised. Thanks for the update, Shammy!
Holy crusades, King Arthur! Ben’s Cat is back.
http://www.theracingbiz.com/2017/03/11/bens-cat-posts-first-work-17/
I was hoping to hear of his retirement. 
I sure hope he stays sound and healthy.
Well, . . . , some horses do stay happier with a job. Please don’t get hurt, Ben.
Ben’s Cat finished 5th, only beaten by 3/4 of a length. If all goes well, he will again contest the Jim McKay Turf Sprint in May.
The good part of this story is that the race’s winner, Made Bail, is a homebred for his owner/trainer Susan Cooney. Virginia bred, raised, owned and trained. Congrats to Susan!
I’m in the ‘let him race’ crowd. I saw the race on TV. He looked great and absolutely looked like he tried his hardest.
He may not enjoy being a “show horse”. He may be more than content getting into that starting gate and giving it his best shot every time the gate opens. It’s not, IMO, like he’s being “over-raced” starting every 2 or 3 weeks or being shipped all over the country.
I was there. 
He did well, closed but was in traffic and ran out of room. One of the commentators said he seems to do best off a long layoff.
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I laugh to myself whenever people start complaining about the horses that are still racing & loving it at an older age. Saying it’s abusive/wrong.
In Olympic/high level eventing, show jumping , etc 11 would be considered a prime age for a horse, yet you don’t hear folks complaining about it those horses being “too old”.
Ben looked good & full of run.
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beaujolais, lucky to be there
I thought he looked great and didn’t quit trying. If he’d spit the bit during the stretch, I might be thinking retirement time. He just got swallowed up by the wad to his right
“beaujolais, lucky to be there”
Yes and thank you, WMW. Laurel’s paddock lets you get pretty close so we always go to see him get tacked up, too. Such a beautiful, elegant horse, with his dark coat and turf horse build.
On the not lucky side is what the stairs in this house have done to my knees (patellas). I think you know the story. I don’t do the stairs at all anymore but what a disaster. Well, just a few more months, thank goodness.
I came here to see if I could actively get involved with the horses again but instead just ended up more “lame” than ever and dealing with that. Eeeesh.
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After 3 starts this year, all finishing off the board, Ben’s Cat has officially been retired.
Such an amazing, durable horse that sounds like he’ll be retiring to a good home.
That is wonderful to hear!
To the poster that laughed about older horses racing: if show jumping or dressage horses had the high rate of serious injury or death that racehorses do, I’d be advocating for their retirement too.
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Age has not been identified as a factor in breakdowns.
"It’s important to recognize it’s unlikely that any one rule change is responsible for the downturn in Thoroughbred deaths. Dr. Tim Parkin, veterinarian and epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow, said so far his team has been able to explain just 35 percent of the change in fatality rates with its statistical models. The remaining 65 percent of the rate reduction that hasn’t been quantified, and it may or may not be influenced by those regulatory changes.
Among the factors associated with 35 percent of the fatality rate decline: racing at two years old (horses are more likely to make their first starts at two, which is associated with reduced risk of injury), fewer races at six furlongs or under, fewer starts on dirt tracks not rated “fast,” and longer periods of time with the same trainer."
It’s a pretty easy statistic to track, so by now, with 8 years of data, if age were a factor they’d be mentioning it.
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Retired and going to hunter rider Christina Welker for his retirement. well deserved and best wishes to Cat
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Wonderful!
