Wishes for the Decade Ahead

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Marilyn — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:03:02 GMT

Keeping tracks synthetic free, finding good homes for retired racehorses, and for Kip Deville to get better!

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Pasturelands — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:30:35 GMT

My ONE-WISH list is:

1. That MORE HORSES like Rachel Alexandra WIN races consistently, without injury, and stay healthy enough to be in competition for atleast 4 years. Afterall, who wants to cheer for a CHAMPION who won't be around after 2 years? Just giving you ONE POINT TO PONDER.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Robin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:23:26 GMT

My wish for the upcoming season is that every race horse who sets foot on the track finishes his/her race healthy and sound. NO MORE BREAKDOWNS!!!! Also, a Triple Crown Winner would be great. Prayers go out to Kip and his connections as maybe someday we'll find a cure/prevention for laminitis as it has taken too many good ones from us-way too soon. God Bless to everyone for a wonderful 2010!!!

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Ida Lee — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:57:05 GMT

My wishes for 2010: 1st Please, please let's have some meaningful advancement in the prevention and treatment of laminitis. I'm horrified that we're losing our beautiful Kip Deville to this disease as we've lost so many of our equine loves. 2nd, let's get a commissioner and standardize the industry. 3rd, let's make sure that every horse that sets hoof on a race track for our entertainment has a forever home once he retires. I don't think we'll have another year like this one with so many incredible Fillies/Mares led, of course, by the Goddesses of Racing, Zenyatta and Rachel. But who isn't looking forward to seeing Gorgeous Rachel tearing up the tracks this coming year! And oh yes the Triple Crown. I've been lucky enough to see Secretariat and Affirmed win the Triple Crown. It would indeed be stupendous to get a winner this year and it would be icing on the cake if it was a Filly. WOW, gives me chills just thinking about it!! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY ...

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Lindsey S — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:47:25 GMT

I love the idea of being able to make communication with owners and trainers more accessible. I've often wanted to communicate to an owner how much a horse has meant to me by watching them race, but I would have no idea how to do that as things stand now.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Rachel — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:26:42 GMT

Ditto to all of yours & Happy New Year.

Transparent chain of ownership and medical records for all sale horses.

No raceday painkillers.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Primadex — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:35:45 GMT

Better information about injured horses besides a notation in the results that a horse was "pulled up and vanned off." A cure for laminitis (prayers for Kip Deville). A place on track websites for fans to communicate to owners and trainers about favorite horses, be they claimers or GI winners.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Chris — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:06:39 GMT

I agree with everything in the original post as well as the comments on horses racing beyond their 3 yo old seasons and making the BC Marathon and its preps more lucrative. My wish would be to see international superhorses running and winning the world's greatest races including the Dubai World Cup, Arc, BC Classic/Turf, Japan Cup, HK Cup in the same year. Make those races the equivalent of tennis' grand slams or golf's majors. The idea just fascinates me.

Also would love to see outcross stallions free of Mr.P/Northern Dancer/Seattle Slew rise as top class sires.

Oh, I hope Zenyatta and RA become top class producers. Since we won't be seeing them race against each other hopefully they can pass on their greatness to their offspring who will battle it out on the track.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Don in Massachusetts — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:47:13 GMT

I agree with Patricia Bewley on securing a better future for our retired horses, and the NTRA needs to step up and take this obligation seriously and stop accrediting tracks without these measures.

I also pray and wish for a cure for laminitis which took the lives of Secretariat, Barbaro, and now threatens Kip Deville. Get well, Kip!

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

wista — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:29:05 GMT

"Three strikes and your out" applicable to trainers. And"out" means for at least 5 years!

A triple crown horse trained by someone who has an absolute clean record.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

TripleCrownKaren — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:26:34 GMT

With all the money available for research.....here's hoping (& praying) for a cure for LAMINITIS! And a RECOVERY for KIP DEVILLE......having lost one of my own horses to this horrible condition and with BARBARO losing HIS battle.....I PRAY we get a success story THIS time!!

CURE LAMINITIS!!!!

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

georgia — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:23:58 GMT

I love horseracing and have enjoyed it for several years. But several factions have really put a damper on it for me because of all the disputes. I don't know what the solution is, but I feel the horse racing industry will suffer because some are putting themselves first. Maybe 2010 will be a better year. I hope so.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Patricia Bewley — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:25:54 GMT

I want to see the accreditation process do what it says and to stop accreditating racetracks that have no aftercare for retirement. it is a farce to give accreditation under the circumstances that have been given so far. Racetracks need to give a percentage of gross purse money to the retirement of racehorses, period. they deserve it and if it is not implemented nation wide the underground slaughter business will thrive as it is today. taking a percentage of gross purse money puts the responsibility on everyone . do something for the horses for a change.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

VAB B. — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:21:35 GMT

con't.

Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra meeting in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. A track they have both won at.

Video - Race Replays of important foreign stakes.

American based horses winning the English Derby, The Arc and the Melbourne Cup.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Lindsey S — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:20:16 GMT

My biggest wish would be for 3 year olds to stick around to race as older horses. I am still so grateful to Jess Jackson for racing Curlin as a 4 year old, and because of him, we get to Rachel again next year! More stars sticking around would go a long way to helping build a better fan base for racing. How fun was it to watch the old veterans like Einstein, Cloudy's Knight, and Presious Passion have such stellar years? My second wish would be for a Triple Crown winner! I was born in 1980, so there hasn't been one in my lifetime!

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

VAB B. — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:01:45 GMT

A commitment from breeders to breed more sound race horses.

A filly landing the Triple Crown.

A more international influence in the Breeder's Cup. Japan, Australia, South America, South Africa for instance.

Keeping racetracks like Belmont, Saratoga, Pimlico and Churchill Downs synthetic free.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

TitleTown Matt — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:01:52 GMT

I will second RDM and wish for the racing industry to realize or remember that the horseplayer is the customer, the fuel that drives the sport.

The safety of the horses and a happy retirement should go without saying...

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Derby132 — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:40:54 GMT

"More homes and second careers for retired racehorses"

The stars of our sport need more than a wish for homes and careers after their racing days are over. They need sustainable funding to make it happen. This sport...the tracks, the owners....need to step it up and provide for the horses when their careers are over. No trucks pulling up to the backside and carting off our sports racehorses to slaughter when they can no longer run. There needs to be a safety net for every equine in this sport. Funding for retirement and retraining for the horses.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Brian Appleton — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:57:31 GMT

How about a Triple Crown winner & a racetrack closer to Connecticut!! (:

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Billy — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:09:18 GMT

On January 18, they can start out by handing the HOY award to Zenyatta.

The would be the obvious great start for 2010!

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

RDM — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:54:24 GMT

How about a wish that the Racing Industry decides to put their Customers (Horseplayers) 1st for a change. I fully realize that this wish will never come true. I sit in NJ & can't play Santa Anita (contractual dispute). I probably won't be able to play Gulfstream either. TVG did a disservice to their Customers by barely covering the Oak Tree Meet. They were upset that they didn't get exclusive rights. Happy New Year and good luck with the wishes!

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Racefilly — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:13:30 GMT

Hooray for the idea or more 4&5 year olds to race. How about 6&7 year olds too? A triple crown winner won't do the sport any good unless he races at 4&5. But we all know he won't because the breeding shed will be calling and he will be retired at the end of his 3 year old year, if not after the triple crown. How can this help the sport when new fans generated will not have the horse to follow and stay interested in the sport for. I love the Einsteins and Better Talk Nows that can actually develop a following.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

Sammi P — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:00:51 GMT

A new Triple Crown winner

And as Kim F. said for Kip to pull out of this and live a happy life at stud

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

John T — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:58:07 GMT

Great list Alex,racing needs stars

like Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.

If everything goes to plan some hot shot 3 year old colt will have emerged to challenge Rachel for the

Breeders Cup Classic,perhaps it will be Lookin At Lucky.

Fuller fields was another interesting one.When a lot of tracks across North America took a loss our own local track Woodbine had another bumper year and full fields for the bettors played a large part in that.

re: Wishes for the Decade Ahead

MRO — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:38:50 GMT

Great list, with safety, integrity, and homes/second careers for retired racehorses at the top.