There will be no triple crown winner again this year

[transplant99]

Just announced that I'll Have Another has been scratched from tomorrows Belmont Stakes.

Damnit.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Absolutely crushing news for horceracing.

[transplant99]

Yep^^^...a bunch of us had planned to go to Elbow River OTB tomorrow and make a day of it.....not sure what will hapen now, but for horse racing this really really stinks.

Such a great sport to watch.

Sounds like he bowed a tendon on one of his ankles....simply cannot run with such an injury. Hopefully he can recover in time for the Breeders in November.

[nfotiu]

Mildly disappointing for me I guess. I would have tried to remember to watch it. Gotta say though, I am impressed with the trainer and owner that they put the horse's health first with however many millions of dollars this is going to cost them and the industry.

[transplant99]

According to Dennis O'Neill, brother of trainer Doug O'Neill, the horse galloped Friday morning and after a veterinary scan, the horse's left front tendon seemed "kind of tender."

Dennis O'Neill told The Associated Press that, "the horse is sound and happy, but it's not worth it."

Asked on the Dan Patrick Show if I'll Have Another has raced his last race, Doug O'Neill said: "If I had to wager. I would say yes."

"It's devastating. I thought this was going to be one of the greatest races in history, and I wanted the opportunity to be part of it," said Dale Romans, trainer of second favourite Dullahan. "But this is bigger than that. This is terrible news."

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

Mildly disappointing for me I guess. I would have tried to remember to watch it. Gotta say though, I am impressed with the trainer and owner that they put the horse's health first with however many millions of dollars this is going to cost them and the industry.

I think there is a huge misconception when it comes to thoroughbreds.

The horses well being is of utmost importance to the majority of owners and trainers in the sport, simply because they have so much invested in them and as such they are treated like family. Yes there are some unscrupulous characters in the biz, but overwhelmingly the most are very very protective of their animals.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Horse Racing and Boxing: Two once kingly sports that cannot catch the break they need to return to relevance. Hopefully the injury is not too serious.

[CedarMeter]

I put a 100 bucks on him..It's too bad..It's been over 30 years since we've had one.

[YYC in LAX]

I'll Have Another has been RETIRED. He could recover and return in several months, but apparently due to his success, ownership and trainers unanimously decided to retire him from racing.

Pretty sad.

[Caged Great]

I am beginning to wonder if perhaps he was milkshaked in the first couple races as they were keeping the trainers away from the horses before this race specifically because of the possibility of milkshaking on this horse. I was wondering if a mysterious injury might crop up today or tomorrow prior to the race because of this, as they would kind of get exposed for cheating if he were to run without aid (namely suck and finish last or something like that).

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

I'll Have Another has been RETIRED. He could recover and return in several months, but apparently due to his success, ownership and trainers unanimously decided to retire him from racing.

Pretty sad.

Sad for fans and for the ownership group, but not sad for him (though i have no doubt he is itching to race again in no time). He will now spend his remaining years running around open fields while eating the best diet there is and being introduced to fillies on a regular basis.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I am beginning to wonder if perhaps he was milkshaked in the first couple races as they were keeping the trainers away from the horses before this race specifically because of the possibility of milkshaking on this horse. I was wondering if a mysterious injury might crop up today or tomorrow prior to the race because of this, as they would kind of get exposed for cheating if he were to run without aid (namely suck and finish last or something like that).

Incredibly doubtful at this level of racing.

the rigid testing both pre and post race would have detected something long ago.

He is just a really really good race horse who pulled a tendon in his leg while galloping is my guess.

Happens all the time in racing.

[CedarMeter]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

milkshaked

Educate me??

[Caged Great]

They're given a protein shake concoction that basically makes them run a lot faster than they normally would. Not sure of the exact details. Heard it on CNN a while ago.

[transplant99]

The practice of supplementing a horse's feed with various electrolyte mixtures - in many cases as simple as a teaspoon of baking soda (or Bicarbonate Soda NaHCO3) has been considered an acceptable routine feeding management practice for many years.

When a horse is exercising it uses two forms of energy production: aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism results in the muscle cells environment becoming increasingly acidic. As the horse exercises, there is an increase in lactate in the muscle cells (and eventually in the bloodstream), therefore limiting the muscle activity and leading to fatigue. Therefore, as the lactic acid builds up, the horse slows down.

The concept with milkshaking is that if you can increase the alkalinity of the blood (pH of the blood), this would buffer the build-up of lactate. In human terms (albeit simplistically), this equate to the tightening of muscles athletes experience towards the end of strenuous exercise. By increasing the pH of the blood, you can remove or delay that effect, therefore not run faster, but rather maintain your maximum speed for longer.

A number of experiments have been performed over the years both in human and equine exercise physiology in an attempt to demostrate what effect varying quantities of bi-carb might have on high performance. Evidence produced by the studies has been somewhat equivocal; some studies show improvement in human and horse exercise capacities (increased run to fatigue times), while some studies haven't. In some instances, the experimental design has been flawed, bringing the results and conclusions into question.

http://www.jockeysite.com/stories/milkshake.htm

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Brutal news, that came out of left field. I was getting pretty excited to watch the race on Sunday and now I couldn't care less. What a shame.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Given the recent history of the triple crown, this seemed likely to end in disappointment, its pretty sad though that its not because I'll Have Another lost the race.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Just announced that I'll Have Another has been scratched from tomorrows Belmont Stakes.

Damnit.

Hahaha, awesome

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by TurnedTheCorner

Hahaha, awesome

What is funny or awesome?

I dont get it.

[normtwofinger]

Damn I just bought a new hat.