I may have missed it, but did the vet make a public statement? Otherwise I think we’re bordering on a Billy Badgett moment and this is beginning to look more like a case of a business relationship gone bad.
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I can think of several reasons why a track vet might recommend retirement even though a horse is sound to run.
Nobody actually said (in real life) what you’re saying they did. Once again, you are making things up.
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No one anywhere has revealed the price Bernsen paid.
So once again we have the real story. And we have snaffle’s version of the story. It would be so much more useful if you could just stick to the facts.
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Which is it… Stormy Liberal was bought for a large sum or chump-change? In my book, those imply two different prices… and, as best as most of us can tell, purchase price has not been revealed nor does it have to be.
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And now even a diagnosis…
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This is the problem that racing has in this new social media world where someone like Pete Miller can just air his grievances and it gets picked up by everyone and becomes the latest example of “this is what’s wrong with racing”. Before anyone engages a rush to elevate Miller as “Saint Pete” and accept every word of this press release as true, consider the source. This is a guy with rulings against him in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Kentucky. Most are pretty bush league and nothing burgers but there was that meth positive for Richard’s Boy, not to mention maligning someone’s unborn child to the point that the CHRB got involved and fined him for being disorderly which is separate from another fine for being disorderly in public at Los Alamitos. For giggles, snaffle should look at Pete Miller’s official record next to Jerry Hollendorfer for the same period of time (2013 - present). In that period of time, Jerry has 13 rulings while Miller has an eye popping 28 and until recently, Jerry always had the bigger barn.
I don’t know what the truth is but was there really a need for a press release? The most interesting part of the story to me is that Bernsen previously took 18 horses from Miller. Could there be something else going on here?
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I’m certain there’s a lot more going on that nobody on the outside knows about.
But regardless of the human issues at play, I still feel that a horse who’s about to turn 8 years old, has won 2 Breeders Cups and earned more than $2,000,000 for his connections does not need to be made to eek out every last dollar he can.
Here are Stormy Liberal’s earnings from the last 3 years:
2017: $783,000
2018: $735,000
2019: $93,000
To me, that looks like a horse who’s ready for the retirement he has more than earned.
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Reading the Blood Horse account, it just sounds like a partnership dispute where there may be other things, wisely kept private, involved. Like maybe, owner wants to move the horse to FL. Cannot fault an owner wanting to do that. Sounds like some horses are staying with PM and could not find the vets name anywhere or a direct quote from them. Certainly wanting to pull at least some horses from a trainer after a meds violation isn’t exactly “ bad blood” but a pretty good reason. IMO.
Confess did not go look at PMs FB page. I don’t get my info off FB anyway.
With the added info, can’t say whether the horse should start or not. If he’s sound and shows he wants to, why not? If he’s not, it’s pretty clear we’ll be seeing him at Dream Chase Farm.
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But…but…snaffle knows EVERYTHING!
Bernsen has stated that he has problems with Miller and does not want horses he’s listed as owner of in training with Miller. Miller may well have published that letter in a fit of pique, with the intention of making Bernsen out to be greedy and heartless. Who knows how much of what he wrote regarding the vet exam, etc., is even true?
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This morning’s Thoroughbred Daily News article:
https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/a-toxic-situation-leads-to-uncertainty-over-stormy-liberals-future/
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THANK YOU for that very informative link. The rest of the story.
And some wonder why some trainers never seem to get the marquee horses and good, consistent lower level horses from good owners who stay informed. :no:
Heck, I would have been done with the guy after the fine for inappropriate remarks to a ( pregnant ) worker at the training center, being overruled in wanting to send the horse to R&R after the bad BC race last year for a complete work up, let alone the Bute in my big horse and meth in another. Anybody can make a mistake but there’s a pattern there that I bet is not on his FB page.
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snaffle uses alternative facts.
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There are some great vets in the Ocala/Gainesville area if he wants to have the horse evaluated.
if its so bad then why does the same ownership who owns Roy H keeping Roy H with Miller.
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but yet they are keeping Roy H with Miller.
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do you think that his other owner, an investor, willing handed over an eclipse winner, a 2x breeders cup winner… for pennies? especially the owner who wanted to retire the horse? If he handed over the reins to the owner wanting to continue running the horse; the likelihood of the want-to race owner having to pay to do so is pretty high. Be real with yourself.
the money is an irrelevant factor in this. the horse should be retired.
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Could be that Rockingham Ranch/Hartunian is the majority owner.
same partnership. Hartunian didn’t “majority own” Stormy Liberal and control what happened to him; specifically. Why would you think it would apply any different to the other horse.
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I am not privy to the legal paperwork defining the partnership between Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, LLC. It’s worth mentioning that Rockingham is listed first as Roy H’s owner, which SOMETIMES indicates a majority ownership.
Back to the topic of Bernsen and Peter Miller: there are now at least two updated accounts of the Stormy Liberal story that make it very clear that Bernsen doesn’t care for Miller. It appears the rest of us have read them; I’m not posting links because you are capable of Googling, I am sure.
The TB Daily news story does wrap with Bernsen quoted as wanting any horse he has any ownership interest in out PMs care and control. That reads to me like he owns a percentage, not the whole horse and must negotiate with whoever owns the other percentage. As an owner, IMO, he is absolutely doing the right thing. We can’t say why do owners s leave their horses with some trainers then trash talk them if they pull their horses after repeated violations. Can’t have it both ways.
You know, wise person once remarked to me the most important quality major trainers look for when hiring for their barn is the demonstrated ability to keep their mouths shut and many have learned to require non disclosure clauses in employment and training contracts.
Seems prudent.
