Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

gammyp6 — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:40:03 GMT

I second da3hoss. well said. does anyone like captain candyman can as much as i do? any thoughts on big drama? i have been enjoying them very much. actually it has been a pretty exciting racing year for me.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Tim — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:01:41 GMT

It's still 2008 but next years Triple Crown has already suffered some major blows. Street Hero has been retired and I really feel bad for Myung Kwon Cho because he seems to have the worst luck in the world. Charitable Man who I thought was brilliant in his two starts is recovering from surgery so even if he does make it back in time for the Derby may never be the same horse again. The Dubai based three year olds, well you know how that goes. So unless Old Fashioned really is a freak we could be looking at a lackluster 2009 crop of three year olds.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

darlene — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 05:22:54 GMT

2008 was a year that saw Curlin become North Americas higherst earner It was also a year of tragedy in throughbred racing with the deaths of Eight bells Wandering Boy and Shakis not to mention the ones who broke down that are not in the news. 2008 saw both good and bad in throughbred racing lets remember the horses we have lost and strive to make it safer for them on the track . Lets all look forward to the future and hope 2009 is a safe one for the throughbreds .

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Whatever — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:26:52 GMT

No, will never forget about the gloom, forget Eight Belles, Wanderin Boy, etc...The way the focus in the breeding shed is on SPEED, you can be sure of more gloom to follow next year, unfortuneately. Today's breeding practices make the gloom inevitable. Sorry, its not my fault!

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Bellwether — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:02:47 GMT

JUNK???...JUNK???...surley you are not talking about RACE HORSES...LLTK!!!

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Bellwether — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:58:36 GMT

ITS ALL ABOUT THE HORSES & THE RACING!!!...PLEASE...LONG LIVE BELLWETHER PRODUCTIONS BABY!!!

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

arliss — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:46:16 GMT

For all of you naysayers complaining about this years three-year old crop, consider this. We don't always have a banner year, but this year was far from a disaster. Big Brown is as good a 3-year old as we have seen. Court Vision is emerging as a nice horse, and Colonel John, Tale of Ekati,Gayego, and many others are of top-quality. This year is hardly a wash for three-year olds.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

LDP — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:37:30 GMT

In regards to the auctions being down, they shouldn't be that high to begin with. Tell me why you are going to pay 16 mil for an unproven 2yr old and 3mil for a yearling? That is rediculous. Just because they look pretty and have good bloodlines does not make them superstars. Also i don't care if the mare is the best broodmare on earth, she isen't worth 14mil. In the other sports inculding horses if you have a successful horse goes for maybe 80K-100K, and thats and expensive jumper. Stud fees are 500-3000 so tell me why we are paying 300000 for one foal from one stallion, that may never do a darn thing at the track?

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Bellwether — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:25:29 GMT

it all leads to why we are here...RACING BABY!!!...GREAT YEAR TOO!!!...Merry Xmas!!!...is Xmas OK???...

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

BC — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:44:21 GMT

the horses that sold brought exactly what they were worth. The junk sold, a high percentage of the better one's were bought back or withdrawn from the sale, so of course the average was down, I don't believe it was as bad as it looked. If you were looking for a good one after the middle part of the sale they were hard to find.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

draynot — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:50:36 GMT

not a very good year indeed especially the american 3 yr old crop. what a sorry bunch that showed up for the ky derby in 2008. on that day it was the weakest group of 3 yr olds in history who answered the call to post. the preakness and belmont were even weaker than that, those races were made up of mostly allowance and maiden horses and even they whipped the derby winner into submission. LMAO!!

the best 3 yr olds this year came from europe. with the retirement of one of the best dirt horses ever in Curlin ( who's connections had the balls to experiment on surfaces not to his liking just to see how he would fare that led to 2 very competitive losses, one of which was in the br. cup classic in a tremendous time that none of this yrs american 3 yr olds could ever dream of), Wanderin Boy who put up speed figs far exceding any american 3 yr old when well past his prime and others, the quality of the older horses looks very bleak as far as the american horses go. unless the europeans send over some of their better 4 yr olds in 09 there may be no 3 yr old and up races that deserve the G1 ranking they receive this year at least on the dirt. good riddance 3 yr old class of 2008, you will all be soon forgotten.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

jamesb — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:46:02 GMT

Some of you are really amazing sometimes.

The article was about what happened to the thoroughbred auctions in 2008. It had nothing to with what happened on the track.

Someone can't write an article focusing purely on the auction side of the business without someone mentioning Eight Belles?

Ridiculous.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

bowlofflowers — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:06:24 GMT

I think 2008 was a great year for the older horses! Curlin raced at 4, Commentator won the Whitney for a second time, Evening Attire won at 9 years old going 1.5 miles and set a track record!!!!

And the Fillies/Mares were fantastic! Zenyatta undefeated, Peppers Pride undefeated in 17 starts, Eight Belles dominance of her 3 year old division until her tragic and confusing demise after the Derby. Ginger Punch & Cocoa Beach, Proud Spell and Music Note. Then the European Fillies aand Mares both on the home turf and at the Breeders Cup Races.

These wers classic performances that will be replayed for years to come.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

da3hoss — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:21:11 GMT

It's still a wonderful life! We're not dying of starvation, rotting in a "re-education" camp or gravely ill from water-borne pathogens.

We still get to play this GAME and we are BLESSED with so many good things, including coming here to share our love of the GAME.

It was a VERY GOOD year.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Gail — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:08:02 GMT

I thught this article was about the auctions this year. Not racing! In fact the entire article is about the auctions with nothing about racing mentioned. The sad part about the whole thing is--what will happen to the record number of horses of all ages that did not find a home. Sellers are not set up to keep these horses. They have no attachment to them. This is something that I don't think has been covered enough.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

seb — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:38:18 GMT

You guys are strange. This is a blog dedicated to comment and analysis of auctions. I'm sure Ms Biles remembers racing breakdowns, but her job is to cover thoroughbred horse sales hence her comments in this entry. I certainly agree with the stories she's mentioned. Ms Biles, could you expand a little more on what about these stories you found particularly intriguing?

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Bellwether — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:30:46 GMT

make more geldings...way to many stallions...thought this was Horse RACING???...

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Bellwether — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:28:48 GMT

make more geldings...way to many st

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

todd — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:57:06 GMT

Seems the horse market is going to be bad for a long time. Racing is looking like the thing to do with young horses instead of taking them to a sale. In a lot of ways it has less risk than selling. If you live a long way from the location you have that, then your comission to the sales agent, the day rate at the sale, and if your price is not made ya you got it pay the reserve comission to the sale company, and then go back for your horse. Those figures add up fast... If i'm going to pay out 5000 dollars for a vacation, think i'd prefer to go over my horse.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

LDP — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:16:15 GMT

Honestly, if you want to get down to it the fillies did the best this year, through consistancy. You had Zen, Eight Bells, Proud spell, Music note, and Cocoa Beach. You also had a few others that threw in some pretty unworldly performances too, but those are the ones who stuck out most in the group. The three year olds were overall throughout the year a weak group. BB was the best at the beginging of the year, but lacked the brilliance he showed the first half of the year, going from a miracle wonder horse to Belmont flop, and beating up on grade 3/allowence competion. The rest of the crop, TOE, CJ, and HR, just to name a few have progressed, and seemed to have come around towards the end of the year. The Older horses were I think pretty consistant, but the division was lacking in talent, the only real stand out being Curlin, who like BB was unbeatable his first half of the season, but seemed tired and not quite his dominating self the second half, though he did win all the start he ran on dirt. My only critism for the girls, or for a couple of them was that they need to step ouside the box a little more in order to be considered a true champion, but other than that they had to be the most consistant group throughout.

This whole year i will agree, was just in general a crappy year. You have the economy going down, the deaths of shakis, wanderin boy, eight bells, and others, and even though all of these horses weren't world beaters, the faught each time and were honest game racehorses, that deserved better than their fate. Next you have the top trainers of the year all having drugging records, and some who love to trash talk, only keeping fans away from the sport. Then you have the retirements of horses like BB, Curlin, Run Away and Hide, Street Hero, and War Pass. The reason i put in some two year olds is just to show how low our sport has sunken, by retiring top flight two year olds, it's rediculous. Lasty, our economy has plummeted, meaning so has our racing industry. Overall the year has just been nasty, starting out with a bright future, then slowly fading away into blackness. It would just be best to learn from it and move on, making things better in our weak areas, and adding to our strong points. Here's to hoping we have a bright and joyous year when 2009 arrives.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

joe — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:00:17 GMT

'Still can't figure why fan response to Big Brown-and Curlin for that matter-lacked spice. I was at the Belmont and the oppressive heat, the BB human connections, the death of Eight Belles...whatever fan enthusiasm at the tc bids of Funny Cide and Smarty was lacking for BB. Brown and Curlin are very, very, VERY good colts, into the realm of great, but a soggy wet blanket seemed to cover the sport this really memorable year.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

ctgreyhound — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:49:45 GMT

Let's add Shakis to that list of fine horses that perished this year, barely one month prior to Wanderin Boy. Also loosing her life in a freak accident (not race related) the wonderful 5 yr old Nashoba's Key. A tragic year indeed for horses in the limelight. They gave us so many memories; I watch their stellar races often.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Ranagulzion — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:07:55 GMT

All was not gloomy this year because the first half of the year was as exciting and full of buzz about Big Brown and his unique exploits from the outside draw in both the Florida and Kentucky Derbies, as I have ever seen. His dominating performance in the Preakness as well as the excitement generated by Curlin's victories, including the Dubai World Cup were on the upside of events during the first half of the year. Then to cap it off was the performances of super filly Zenyatta and a very successful and rich-in-quality-performances Breeder's Cup series that was truly international. The 3yos have taken a lot of flack this year but to be realistic the best ones (except for Big Brown) were a crop of good milers (War Pass, Tale of Ekati, Harlem Rocker). Raven's Pass and Henry the Navigator who finished first and second in the BCC were after all 3yos bred in the USA. So forget about the gloom.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

weak crop — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:57:33 GMT

This years 3 year old crop was outstandingly weak, and last years was outstanding, but they retired.

re: Looking Back at 2008, Not a Very Good Year

Outrider Joan — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:13:13 GMT

Eight Belles and Wanderin Boy, we will not forget you! I hope you're both in heaven's paddock, eating peppermints and cabbage and competing in golden charriot races.