RIP Take Control

[Heidilady]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... euthanized

Don't even get me started on Kaleem Shah and Baffert. Don't. "Bad step" my eye. He was a 'bad step' horse waiting to happen. Should never have tried to stage that comeback. All that time off, no works, then bringing him along trying to get black type to justify the cost so he could stand as a stallion passing on the genes? Probably shouldn't have even tried to bring him to the races til late age 3. Trying to break his maiden near the end of 2 in 2009 got em 1 race and then out til 2012. You know there was angst about trying to make the Triple Crown. If he'd cost what Zenyatta did and trained with John Shirreffs, he'd have gotten the time. Maybe spent time on turf. Cost millions with that breeding and go to Baffert? You're gonna get pushed on dirt at Santa Anita. Take Control was on borrowed time. Incidentally he broke down on a front limb and his initial injury awhile back was a front shin injury.

[TJ]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/81390/bc-marathon-contender-take-control-euthanized

Don't even get me started on Kaleem Shah and Baffert. Don't. "Bad step" my eye. He was a 'bad step' horse waiting to happen. Should never have tried to stage that comeback. All that time off, no works, then bringing him along trying to get black type to justify the cost so he could stand as a stallion passing on the genes? Probably shouldn't have even tried to bring him to the races til late age 3. Trying to break his maiden near the end of 2 in 2009 got em 1 race and then out til 2012. You know there was angst about trying to make the Triple Crown. If he'd cost what Zenyatta did and trained with John Shirreffs, he'd have gotten the time. Maybe spent time on turf. Cost millions with that breeding and go to Baffert? You're gonna get pushed on dirt at Santa Anita. Take Control was on borrowed time. Incidentally he broke down on a front limb and his initial injury awhile back was a front shin injury.

Hi Heidi,
Outcomes like this, with horses in similar situations as Take Control, being lightly raced, older horses, with big gaps between starts...specifically in Take Control's case, 30 and 14 month gaps. Red flags such as this, certainly should be scrutinized in pre-race vet exams. In addition he had a strong string of fast works leading into his 6YO debut in which he was thrown to the wolves in a GR I and finished last. Thirteen days after this poor performance, he returns and works an uncharacteristically slow 1/2 which could also be a red flag, as he returned 6 days later in his final fatal workout? These red flags should be observed by the examining vets and additional scrutiny should be employed in pre-race exams. After a last place finish and a slow follow up work, they should do an in depth examination of the horse before the next entry or published workout and decide if he is sound enough to race or work again. Past performances, unusual gaps between starts, workout patterns and big drops in claiming race price, are key to noting impending breakdowns and should be employed when pre-race exams are being performed. The examination of the pp's, gaps and workout patterns needn't be done by actual vets, but could be noted by racing analysts (which most tracks employ). Their handicapping is done many times, days in advance....if they note any red flags, they simply need to pass it on to the the examining vets, so they are aware of a possible impending situation which would look very bad, should that horse be allowed to race and breaks down. Why this isn't done, I don't know? But....if they want to help racing's image, this would be a step in the right direction. It would show that they are on the job, looking out for the horses best interest. It won't stop all fatal breakdowns....because some are simply fate, but it would probably save those horses showing these red flags, who are usually the most at risk of breaking down. TJ

[ides of ice]

Why would they wait so long to bring him back?

[Sysonby]

I think that they were trying to get a stakes win to make him worth something. At this stage, he wasn't worth much without it.

BTW I am in no way condoning his management, but I think I understand what they were doing.

[TJ]

I think that they were trying to get a stakes win to make him worth something. At this stage, he wasn't worth much without it.

BTW I am in no way condoning his management, but I think I understand what they were doing.

Hi Sy,
Yes, of course that was their thinking. Yet he did get black type when he finished 4th in a GR I in his 3rd career start on 7/28/12. He was beaten a 1/2, a 1/2 and a head for the win. Now they have nothing, unless he was heavily insured? TJ

[Sysonby]

You don't get black type for a fourth. I think the Europeans may do that but the US doesn't.

Here's the JC description and all he is is a winner

http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedig ... dicator=Y##

Honestly at this point he probably wasn't even worth 6 figures. His residual value was considerably less than that.

[TJ]

You don't get black type for a fourth. I think the Europeans may do that but the US doesn't.

Here's the JC description and all he is is a winner

http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedig ... dicator=Y##

Honestly at this point he probably wasn't even worth 6 figures. His residual value was considerably less than that.

Hi Sy,
I stand corrected....once again the dinosaur in me came out. Black type for 4th place was awarded in America prior to 1990. TJ

[Whirlaway]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/81390/bc-marathon-contender-take-control-euthanized

Don't even get me started on Kaleem Shah and Baffert. Don't. "Bad step" my eye. He was a 'bad step' horse waiting to happen. Should never have tried to stage that comeback. All that time off, no works, then bringing him along trying to get black type to justify the cost so he could stand as a stallion passing on the genes? Probably shouldn't have even tried to bring him to the races til late age 3. Trying to break his maiden near the end of 2 in 2009 got em 1 race and then out til 2012. You know there was angst about trying to make the Triple Crown. If he'd cost what Zenyatta did and trained with John Shirreffs, he'd have gotten the time. Maybe spent time on turf. Cost millions with that breeding and go to Baffert? You're gonna get pushed on dirt at Santa Anita. Take Control was on borrowed time. Incidentally he broke down on a front limb and his initial injury awhile back was a front shin injury.

I really don't want to get you started on Kaleem Shah and Bob Baffert, but I feel compelled to post a comment here.

Trainers do the best they can with the stock the owners give them, the owners purchase the best stock the breeders can produce and the breeders produce the stock that best suits the needs of racing public. We want speed and the breeders gave it to us.

Fast, fast, fast, everything fast. Fast money, fast cars, fast food, fast bikes, fast planes, fast computers and faster and faster cell phones - you name it, our culture demands most everything right now, lickety split, yesterday. We want faster and faster horses and the consequence of our demands manifests itself in horses like Take Control.

Surely and no doubt, Baffert trained the horse but tend to think the racing public as a whole is truly responsible. Our need for speed killed that horse and no doubt, he will quickly be forgotten.

[BenB]

Tweebster went down some time ago, same connections as Take Control.

[TJ]

Tweebster went down some time ago, same connections as Take Control.

Hi Ben,
How are you? Good call with Tweebster...another who ran in graded stakes, but this one finished 2nd twice in GR II events and 3rd in a GR III event, unfortunately he was a gelding. Red flags showed in this ones pp's as well. After a 4 month break from the races, he came back to run 6th in The Governor's Cup. Five weeks later he ran 4th in an allowance/optional claimer and was in for a $40,000 tag. Four weeks and 4 days after that, he was entered in a $12,500 claiming race....with no takers. Tweebster finished 5th as the favorite, although he finished the race, he was unsaddled on the track and vanned off. That race was on 12/30/12, he was euthanized after breaking both sesamoids in his left front leg. Read the article in which Baffert defends the obvious reason for his sharp drop down from stakes and allowance to $40,000 then his final start fo $12,500. TJ
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... euthanized