George Washington???

[The Bid]

Are you directing that towards me Danzig

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by The Bid

Are you directing that towards me Danzig

directing what? the hang in there part above, or a previous post?

[pdrift1]

Originally Posted by Danzig

not sure why, but as soon as they said something was wrong, i felt that it was george. a beauty and full of talent. star crossed for sure. my condolences to the jacksons, coolmore and aob, and anyone else touched by this horse in his all too brief time. it's always those behind the scenes who take it hardest, the groom, the exercise rider....i was hoping he would do well today, for danehill if nothing else.
what a rotten ending to a rotten race.

i agree -rotten ending to a rotten race RIP GW

[TBJUNKY]

Coolmore's vet requested that the owners could have GW's head, heart, and horseshoes to bury............I know they got his shoes, but nor sure about the other two

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by TBJUNKY

Coolmore's vet requested that the owners could have GW's head, heart, and horseshoes to bury............I know they got his shoes, but nor sure about the other two

they'll get them, no doubt. probably cremate the remains to inter as well.

[onebadbeast]

I Think It Was Disgusting To Try To Get The Last Drop Out Of This Poor Horse. Shame On The Game!

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by onebadbeast

I Think It Was Disgusting To Try To Get The Last Drop Out Of This Poor Horse. Shame On The Game!

i think that 14 starts does not a last drop nor poor horse make. had he not been lost, this convo doesn't even happen. ridiculous bit of hysteria from those who are appalled and amazed that someone would dare race a racehorse. at four even! the NERVE.

gimmeabreak.

[pmayjr]

R.I.P. Gorgeous. You gave some good memories, and you should've shown Kip D. what was up in the Mile instead, but R.I.P.

[Merlinsky]

Do we know the names of the mares that got in foal to George?

[Bobby Fischer]

they tried to run a turf horse 10 furlongs in the mud.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by merasmag

couldn't understand why he was in this but didn't think it would come to this...i am afraid to watch the replay but i think i have to...i am bummed, i heard over the otb shouting that someone was in a van but it didn't sound that serious...i really hope he didn't suffer as much as i am imagining

the race showed him next to last, but you never see ( on the tv coverage of the race) him actually take a bad step or anything. he's out of the pic when it all happened.
as to suffering, i doubt it. horses are so up on adrenaline, they don't feel pain immediately. he was euthanized so quickly, i doubt he felt much discomfort.

as to why you'd 'have to' watch the replay, i can't imagine...

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Bobby Fischer

they tried to run a turf horse 10 furlongs in the mud.

happens fairly often, as not all turfers scratch when a race goes to the main track. and of course a turf race only moves if conditions warrant--rain being the culprit.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by merasmag

i have to watch it cause i wanna see wtf happened to lron... i know i saw bumping and now i need to know if it was him or gw

Mera, I think GW took a bad step- it was just one of those awful things that happen sometimes. I don't think he was ever in a spot where it could have been caused by contact.

Thank goodness ESPN didn't show and reshow the moment. I thought they handled it pretty well.

[richard burch]

Originally Posted by sumitas

get real. he was retired and Coolemore's greed makes them wring every last dime out of the horse. he's a turf horse and they bring him over here to run in the slop ? shame on Coolemore.

finally...

[hockey2315]

I am SO mad right now. . . Those greedy #$@%^ had no business racing George at all this year after he was retired and came back so dull. . . This just shows how backwards the industry has gotten with the whole racing to breed/breeding to race thing. They took a very promising horse out of racing in his prime in Holy Roman Emperor just so they could suck some money out of somewhere. Then since George wasn't worth anything in the shed anymore they decided to try to squeeze a few more bucks out of him on the track. What was the point of even running him in the Classic where he clearly had no shot?! Not to help his stud fee. . . Not to do right by the horse. . . And is Kinane really that clueless that he rode GW hard the whole race when something was clearly wrong? Must have been that fifth place money. . . My friend, who's more of a casual fan, said to me after the races something to the effect of "I can't wait to see these horses race next time" to which I replied; "You won't." How is the sport supposed to attract fans when the big stars never last for more than a year?

[Seattleallstar]

I had no problem with GW running in the race, I just wish they kept him retired when he came up lame the first time around

[NoChanceToDance]

I don't know what to say. Other that we have lost a very talented horse.

Was it anyone's fault? We don't know and we never will.

My honest opinion? I was surprised when they said they were running in the Classic when they decided to bypass what seemed like an easy Champion Stakes at Newmarket last weekened (i think he would have won that).

Was it the sloppy surface that caused this? Again, we don't know. It certainly didn't help. Now, i've only been watching American racing for about three years, but i am failing to think of a time where i have seen a dirt track looking as bad as that (there, probably have been, but i've never seen one).

What worries me is that the actual injury was an open fracture to BOTH sesamoid bones. I'm no vet, but that isn't a common injury. It just makes people ask questions.

I don't blame Coolmore for bringing him back to the track after a failed time at stud. What else were they going to do with him? However, i didn't agree that they decided to send him back for the classic.

Can anyone tell me, what are the different characteristics of a fast and sloppy dirt track? What does it feel like to ride on? Other than the kickback, is it much different or almost the same? He was under pressure after a few furlongs, was he feeling something or was he just not good enough? For a horse that travels so well in his races and travelled so easily in the Classic last year that was surprising.

Truth is, i'm struggling to come to terms with the fact he is gone. He deserved so much more than this. He gave me one of the best days of my life when he won the 2,000 Guineas and i got to spend a bit of time with him and Horatio Nelson after the race along with some of the staff at Aidan's. My two favourite horses over the last few years and they both die on the track. How unlucky can you get.

I just feel sorry for Aidan and his staff right now. They all treated George like he was a king. He was a real character, he wasn't an easy horse to be around, but that is why they loved him.

I can understand why people are trying to find someone to blame, it's just natural. Do i think there is anyone or anything that should be blamed? I'm not sure. One thing i will say is that brave decisions are often ones that go with huge risk.

RIP George, thanks for the memories.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by hockey2315

I am SO mad right now. . . Those greedy #$@%^ had no business racing George at all this year after he was retired and came back so dull. . . This just shows how backwards the industry has gotten with the whole racing to breed/breeding to race thing. They took a very promising horse out of racing in his prime in Holy Roman Emperor just so they could suck some money out of somewhere. Then since George wasn't worth anything in the shed anymore they decided to try to squeeze a few more bucks out of him on the track. What was the point of even running him in the Classic where he clearly had no shot?! Not to help his stud fee. . . Not to do right by the horse. . . And is Kinane really that clueless that he rode GW hard the whole race when something was clearly wrong? Must have been that fifth place money. . . My friend, who's more of a casual fan, said to me after the races something to the effect of "I can't wait to see these horses race next time" to which I replied; "You won't." How is the sport supposed to attract fans when the big stars never last for more than a year?

this ending makes no sense in the context of your post as a whole. you come on and complain because they ran a horse that had been retired at three, and bring him back, only to lose him. but then you want your stars around longer. which is it? or do you only want them to stay longer if they somehow have a crystal ball to tell them which horses will not take a bad step, and which will? as for kinane, that horse took a bad step late in the race. he wasn't lame all the way around. that jock is not at fault, nor is coolmore.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by NoChanceToDance

I don't know what to say. Other that we have lost a very talented horse.

Was it anyone's fault? We don't know and we never will.

My honest opinion? I was surprised when they said they were running in the Classic when they decided to bypass what seemed like an easy Champion Stakes at Newmarket last weekened (i think he would have won that).

Was it the sloppy surface that caused this? Again, we don't know. It certainly didn't help. Now, i've only been watching American racing for about three years, but i am failing to think of a time where i have seen a dirt track looking as bad as that (there, probably have been, but i've never seen one).

What worries me is that the actual injury was an open fracture to BOTH sesamoid bones. I'm no vet, but that isn't a common injury. It just makes people ask questions.

I don't blame Coolmore for bringing him back to the track after a failed time at stud. What else were they going to do with him? However, i didn't agree that they decided to send him back for the classic.

Can anyone tell me, what are the different characteristics of a fast and sloppy dirt track? What does it feel like to ride on? Other than the kickback, is it much different or almost the same? He was under pressure after a few furlongs, was he feeling something or was he just not good enough? For a horse that travels so well in his races and travelled so easily in the Classic last year that was surprising.

Truth is, i'm struggling to come to terms with the fact he is gone. He deserved so much more than this. He gave me one of the best days of my life when he won the 2,000 Guineas and i got to spend a bit of time with him and Horatio Nelson after the race along with some of the staff at Aidan's. My two favourite horses over the last few years and they both die on the track. How unlucky can you get.

I just feel sorry for Aidan and his staff right now. They all treated George like he was a king. He was a real character, he wasn't an easy horse to be around, but that is why they loved him.

I can understand why people are trying to find someone to blame, it's just natural. Do i think there is anyone or anything that should be blamed? I'm not sure. One thing i will say is that brave decisions are often ones that go with huge risk.

RIP George, thanks for the memories.

it's not uncommon. don't forget teuflesberg just had surgery to repair both sesamoids in his leg. they think the second was fractured when he escaped the handlers while waiting for the ambulance.
the reason george was euthanized immediately was that he dislocated the joint, as well as suffering an open wound. the dislocation cut off blood supply, and of course the opening introduced dirt to the wound. either one of the two would mean no chance for the horse.

but i do know how you feel about losing george yesterday. there are some big pine island fans on this board, we went thru this last year.

[Cajungator26]

I'll be completely honest and say that this kind of thing is taking its toll on me. Too many losses on the track this year and it's not good for the sport.

RIP George.