La Horse Tracks
La Ville Rouge’s foals and unsoundness?
I have been thinking today and I have noticed that all of La Ville’s babies haven’t stayed sound at the track, is this a coincidence?
Holy Ground had to retire because of leg injury, Barbaro’s unfortunate breakdown and now Nicanor’s leg injury, I’m seeing a pattern, is this something they should look into or just a coincidence or is it the tracks nowadays?
Please tell me your opinion, I’m not very keen on horse breeding and genetics.
La Ville Rouge herself made 25 starts and raced through age 4, which argues that she was a reasonably tough and sound mare. She was sired by Carson City, who was a son of Mr. Prospector, a line that is not noteworthy for soundness or correctness.
FWIW, the suspensory injury that Holy Ground suffered might not have been career-ending if circumstances were different. He got hurt in 2006, when Barbaro was going for the Triple Crown; after Barbaro got hurt, Holy Ground was suddenly a hot property at stud because of his bloodlines.
I have my own theory about La Ville Rouge’s offspring: as long as they keep breeding her to Dynaformer, her offspring would be much better suited to racing in England, Ireland and Europe.
Dynaformer offspring want to go long, they are not precocious, and they take their time to mature. Barbaro, IMO, was something of a fluke: for a Dynaformer to be precocious enough to contest the Derby in May of his three-year-old season is unusual.
I really believe that the Jacksons, who do race overseas, would do well by shipping La Ville Rouge’s babies over to England or Ireland soon after they are weaned and turning them over to a trainer there for breaking and training. Instead of trying to compete here in America, and worse yet, replicate Barbaro’s success in the American classics, it would be greatly to the benefit of all concerned to have them pursue the English classics.
This would get them doing what the Dynaformers do best: running an abbreviated 2-year-old campaign if they race at all at 2, running on turf, and going long. Instead of training primarily over dirt or synthetic surface, they would be training on the grass.
It is such a shame that Nicanor got hurt when he had seemed to find himself and his best races were ahead of him. I hope he can come back, but I believe that the Jackson’s phone is probably already ringing off the hook with offers to stand him at stud, and I’m certain that if there is any doubt at all about whether he can race on, he’ll be retired.
It would be nice if the Jacksons would put Lentenor on a plane for England and point him for the English classics next year. Better for him and much more in tune with what he’s bred for, IMO.
Matthew Burton – “Horse & Zebra” (Daniel Sanchez as De La Pimp Mix) [ER050]