After looking at Barbara Livingston’s usually lovely pictures, I’d like to know what horses are stabled on the ends, and bet on them. Would think there’d be less stress without a competitor on either side!
Love the comment he made about getting a date with the head nurse and selling 2 horses to some doctors:lol:- neither would surprise me!!!
[QUOTE=RedMare01;6364648]
D. Wayne post accident.
He’s lucky. But I still won’t be betting on Optimizer.[/QUOTE]
Today’s WSJ was none too kind with pointing out Wayne’s infamy as of late: “Optimizer Chases the Triple Crown (of Infamy)”
Since 2003, a total of 13 horses ran in all three races, with only four never making it to the winner’s circle. Only Flying Private (2009) failed to at least hit the board (first, second or third). Who was Flying Private’s trainer? D. Wayne Lukas.
They ranked Flying Private the 12th worst with Optimizer being perhaps the worse. Although #11 was Scrimshaw - also DWL trained 
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;6364494]
This other WSJ video has Doug O’Neill citing IHA’s stallion value as being (currently) between $10M and $20M. This is the first $$ I’ve seen cited anywhere.
Compared to the lofty $50M purported for Big Brown syndication rights - pre Preakness no less - at $20M that seems rather logical, no?[/QUOTE]
Seems logical to me, and a bit of a bargain – I ran the price paid per syndication share of Secretariat through a calculator the other day that was designed to adjust for inflation. It came to almost a million dollars a share in today’s money – putting his syndication right around 32 million, give or take a few thousand here or there . . . 
And that was before he’d run in anything his three year old year. Brings home what an achievement that was for Seth Hancock, in his first year on the job.
The always handy and colorful reference - New York Post (Ed Fountain) Guide to the Belmont Stakes field
The comment on PP8 ‘Guyana StarDweej’ is brutal with “worth a wager?”: [i]He has an excellent chance if gates fail to open for the rest of the field". Ouch.
As noted by the Associated Press only trainer Kelly Breen has no prior medical-related violations. All others have at least one - Manuel Azpurua, Chad Brown, Michael Matz, Dominick Schettino and Doodnauth Shivmangal. Dale Romans (5), Baffert (20), Lukas (15 - although none in the last 13 years), and O’Neill with (17)
Beyer (Wash Post) June 8, 2012: “It’s easy to root for I’ll Have Another to win the Triple Crown”
Of course, there is no certainty that I’ll Have Another will duplicate this effort. The gods of racing always find a way to defeat less-than-great horses in the Triple Crown.
Yet it may be premature to conclude that I’ll Have Another is permanently in the less-than-great category. After his slow, perfect-trip Kentucky Derby win, I would have scoffed at the notion that he could be a Triple Crown winner, but he improved by at least five lengths in his victory at Pimlico. He’s still young, and he could make another great leap forward to establish himself as one of the sport’s true elite. Like most racing fans, I hope it will happen on Saturday.
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;6365658]
The comment on PP8 ‘Guyana StarDweej’ is brutal with “worth a wager?”: He has an excellent chance if gates fail to open for the rest of the field." Ouch. [/QUOTE]
Well, to be fair–I’m only sort of joking by asking WHAT IS HE DOING IN THE BELMONT? There is no shame in being a sprinter. His only win is a MSW at Aqueduct where he was ‘flat out’ at the mile and ‘prevailed’, and there he was carrying 113, second-lightest in the field. He’s never competed in even an ungraded stakes. What sane trainer and owner looks at that record and seriously thinks throwing him in a GI mile an a half against graded winners is a good idea? I’m all for long shots but this seems delusional.
News outlets reporting that IHA has scratched?
NO!! Say it aint’ so
It is so
The worse news is that DON says he will be retired…:mad: Tendon injury
Bloodhorse says there will be a press conference at 1:00. There is a possible tendon injury. 
They certainly can’t accuse them of overworking him for prep, either, but I be tomorrow’s NYT is about how “Druggie Trainer’s Horse Breaks Down Before Belmont.” I like the odds on that even more than I like the odds on Guyana needing to be eased (where I’m personally at 2-1.)
[QUOTE=harvestmoon;6362128]
What, he stays on his right lead and doesn’t switch?[/QUOTE]
Yep. That and the fact he was purposefully being kept off of his LEFT lead.
Sometimes it’s not fun being right. I wanted a TC winner.
Oh well.
~Emily
Whoa - jaw dropping news indeed! Formal press conference at 1pm EST
I’ll Have Another to scratch from Belmont Stakes
… due to developing tendonitis in his left foreleg, trainer Doug O’Neill said Friday.
“He’s got tendonitis in his left front tendon,” O’Neill said. “He’s not 100 percent and I ain’t taking any chances.”
O’Neill said that I’ll Have Another will be out for the remainder of the year and that his connections will huddle later in the year to decide whether to retire him or not.
O’Neill said that he noticed some filling in the leg on Thursday afternoon as if the horse “whacked himself.”
Friday morning, O’Neill brought the horse to the track at 5:30 a.m. – three hours earlier than usual – and did his usual jog and gallop, but the filling returned.
O’Neill summoned Dr. James Hunt to scan the horse which showed “the start of tendonitis,” O’Neill said.
“We don’t want to take any chances,” O’Neill continued. “The bottom line is it’s not tragic, no one got killed, there are much bigger issues in the world.”
I suppose Guyana Star Dweej chances for hitting the board just went from 300-1 and now 90-1.
With IHA out the solid favorite is Dullahan now is at 9-5 odds. Union Rags is tracking at 5-2 odds.
Emily I concur the lead issue with IHA was giving some evidence something was a bit odd.
I hate to think that there might be another reason for the scratch.
[QUOTE=moonriverfarm;6365974]
I hate to think that there might be another reason for the scratch.[/QUOTE]
Sadly that was my first thought. I commend him if the scratch is 100% horse soundness but deep inside I wonder if some of it was all the negative press and pressure about his CO2 issue. Its to bad I’ve come to like DON.
The NY Post already has their headline: Triple Frown
The New York Times headline simply says “Triple Crown Hopeful Out of Belmont”
The Wall Street Journal headline says “I’ll Have Another Drops From Belmont Stakes”
Ms Emily texted me with this tidbit. Guess what leg is not right? It’s that left front… It’s not like his handlers couldn’t see that he wasn’t using the left lead.
Per the press conference - dominated by non racing press folks based upon the questions - I’ll Have Another is retired. Not just a scratch and few months off. They’ve decided he’s done with his career.
TVG’s Simon Bray and Tom Amoss (obviously without immediate inspection of the horse) both think with that injury any horse could come back in the fall. A couple months off is all that’s needed.
Under the circumstances (which feels a lot like I Want Revenge) I doubt the $20M syndication cited before is possible.
