Summer Bird sold

[dublino]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... d-in-japan

Crazy - thought he had a crack a becoming a decent sire.

Why do you think the Japs are buying him?
Cause the rate him.

Empire Maker
I'll Have Another
Summer Bird

Who's next?

[griff]

He still might make a decent sire, just not here.

griff

[Affirmed1]

The Japanese are pretty much saturated with Sunday Silence bloodlines. They need to import some stallions who might cross well with S.S. Summer Bird is a very good looking physical type and he probably will do better in Japan than he would have here.

[Jorge]

SUMMER BIRD http://www.pedigreequery.com/summer+bird3
Nice Classic profile sire with a very important characteristic Japanese breeders are looking for, namely, 12 furlongs plus racing ability.
Just the opposite to what we are witnessing in other jurisdictions and hemisphere.

[Joltman]

So much for our hopes for some decent stamina ....

jm

[LB]

So much for our hopes for some decent stamina ....

jm

There's not a lot of point in breeding for stamina if you live in a country that has only a very small minority of races that would require it.

[Joltman]

Or racing secretaries writing races at a mile and a half or longer...

jm

[Patuxet]

Or, perhaps more to the point, trainers who know how to train for races at a mile and a half or longer...

[reenci]

if you write them...they will come ...i would be a good step in the right direction

[BargainBlueblood]

Could it be?? A Christmas miracle?? Aqueduct has a 1 1/2 mile feature on Friday. Very cool!

http://www.drf.com/news/aqueduct-notes- ... t-distance

[reenci]

all horse who are fit can race a mile and a half....what time they do it in is a different subject.....but a race is a race

[erhrdt3]

Another one bites the dust. All our horses are going over there! Did they make arrangements in the event he does not do well to bring him back? Or will he, too, end up on their damned plates

[Mahubah]

Another one bites the dust. All our horses are going over there! Did they make arrangements in the event he does not do well to bring him back? Or will he, too, end up on their damned plates

Puh-leese. I get tired of seeing this type of stuff every time a horse goes to Japan. Frankly, it smacks of bigotry -- I never see the same thing if a horse is sent to Europe, even though the consumption of horsemeat is fairly commonplace on the Continent. (Remember Exceller?)

The Blood-Horse's article on Summer Bird's sale quoted WinStar's Elliott Walden as saying that the sale contract contained an option for WinStar to buy Summer Bird back at the conclusion of his stud career; Walden further stated that WinStar had put money aside in escrow to ship him back for retirement. So even if Summer Bird proves a dud at stud, I'd say his future is reasonably secure.

Thanks for posting the links, Sysonby. Those are pretty farms.

[erhrdt3]

Pul-eese yourself.

The fact is, many perfectly good horses are being killed over there, all over the place. Why? Why does this have to happen?

If more owners felt the same way perhaps we could put an end to this. We would never let any of ours go to be killed in such a horrendous way.

Thank you for the info on Summer Bird for his retirement. I really loved that gorgeous boy.

[LB]

Pul-eese yourself.

The fact is, many perfectly good horses are being killed over there, all over the place. Why? Why does this have to happen?

If more owners felt the same way perhaps we could put an end to this. We would never let any of ours go to be killed in such a horrendous way.

How do you know that? Have you been to Japan? Are you involved in the horse industry there? Stories you read on the internet are worth the paper they're printed on.

I agree with Mahubah. Pulling out a decade old example and generalizing that it's the current norm is either ignorance or bigotry.

As for what Americans would allow to happen to their unwanted horses, apparently you are unaware of that too.