From the ‘Chromies’ page, today.
CHROME GOING TO CHILE
With breeding season now over here in the US, it should be a time for our Champ to finally enjoy just being a horse. Nope, not for Chrome. On July 21, he’ll be crated & shipped to Chile, for yet another 5 months in the breeding shed. He isn’t scheduled to return until just before Christmas. I couldn’t be more disappointed with this decision by Chromes Owners, Taylors & Martins. Obviously, it’s based entirely on money. What’s in Chromes best interest? If the Owners asked themselves that question, Chrome would be staying in Kentucky, instead of being shipped off to live in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. Apparently nothing was learned from the England debacle 2 years ago. By now I would have thought everyone surrounding this horse knew the most important element to Chromes “well being” is his relationships with people. The remainder of this year he should be doing what he thrives on, (& rightfully deserves), hanging out in the pasture, eating cookies, & interacting with his fans. Understandably, that’s not where the money is, but its the right thing to do for Chrome.
Why is it so hard for the Owners to realize what’s best for Chrome can also be what’s best for them? Why can’t they think differently about a horse who most assuredly is the most unique creature they will ever own? Shuttling champion Stallions internationally is common but it doesn’t mean that’s the only choice they have to cash in on Chromes fame. A great example of this is Secretariats Owner. She looked at the long term investments of owning the worlds most popular horse. She acknowledged she owned a legend, a horse that not only was a winner on the race track but also one that captured Americas hearts. Like Chrome, Secretariat was the “Peoples Horse” and his Owner took full advantage of that financially by licensing his name to movies, books, merchandise & memorabilia. (If you haven’t seen the new Volvo commercial featuring Secretariat, check it out!) Even today, almost 30 years after Secretariats death, Penny Chenery continues to reap the benefits of her brilliant financial decisions. In doing so, she has kept Secretariats legacy alive in our memories, along with being introduced to generations who otherwise wouldn’t have known him.
There are many reasons to keep Chrome home. 1) Most important being, this trip will be very stressful on him, not only the long travel itself, the massive vaccines required to travel abroad, & his stay in quarantine, but everything will be different for our Champ, including the sights, sounds, smells, climate, food, water, accommodations, people & so on. Not to mention the pampering & attention he’s become accustomed to. Taylor Made said Chrome will be with their “South American Representative, Sebastian Angelillo” while in Chile. Who? Chrome doesn’t know Angelillio, & he doesn’t know Chrome. No matter how they spin it, bottom line is, Chrome will be alone, once again removed from everyone & everything familiar to him. Again, If the Owners had simply asked themselves what’s best for Chrome, & not just their bank accounts, they would have considered making a former groom we know, an offer he couldn’t refuse to accompany his friend in Chile.
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The stress a Stallions heart goes through while studding, is no laughing matter. Thoroughbreds are already prone to anxiety & stress from racing & the long term effects from drugs used during their career. Unfortunately, premature death from a sudden heart attack is not uncommon in thoroughbreds. It was just this past February, that Chromes Dad, Sire “Lucky Pulpit” dropped dead from a massive heart attack after covering a mare. Another great Champion, Scat Daddy, who also happened to shuttle to Chile for 3 consecutive years, died suddenly in 2015 of a heart attack, he was only 11. Lucky Pulpit was 16. That’s young considering the average life span is 25 - 30 years. Its too much to ask of a horse who has already given so much to so many. Non-stop training & competing from October 2015 - January 28, 2017, which included a International trip to Dubai. Almost immediately after, he began his second career in the breeding shed. After 5 months of studding, (he looked totally drained this past June) he will now be forced to work another 5 months abroad. That’s not normal, or right.
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By years end, Chrome will have impregnated approx. 300 mares. That’s too much to ask of any horse. Not only is it to much for the Stallion, but what happens to all of Chromes future foals? History tells us the odds are against them of becoming close to what Chrome has accomplished. Many wont even qualify to race. Given the odds, its shocking how much overbreeding goes on today. Horses are expensive to own, they take up a lot of space, require special diets & care. You have to ask yourself, what happens to all of those babies & generations to come? According to statistics, the outcome for some of Chromes future foals isn’t good, to say the least. Just 5 years ago, In 2012, the direct grandson to Secretariat, “Royale with Speed” was hours away from being slaughtered, when he was rescued by a US animal rights group. That’s the secret, ugly side of horse-racing. The sad fact is, There are no breeding limits because of the money involved in the sport. The uncertain future of these innocent beings, is caused by humans, shouldn’t we be more responsible as a society, than to allow for the overbreeding of such a massive animals, only to find out if they can race or not? Chile, is located next to Argentina, where horse slaughter is common practice. Obviously, with all the breeding planned for our Champ, eventually, there will be Chrome blood shed in South America where horse meat is common flare. That shouldn’t sit well with anyone.
After following Chrome since he blazed across that finish line in the 2014 Kentucky Derby, one thing I know for certain, Horse racing & its Owners are their own worst enemy. It was a dying sport before California Chrome, & with no lessons learned, it will be a dying sport once again. Im sure the Taylors & Martins are fine people, however their decision to send Chrome abroad is not.
They still don’t understand, Chrome was the reason we watched horse racing, not the other way around.