Nicanor - Another Barbaro?

My first thought when I first saw him was, "God, he looks just like his brother."

The resemblance is uncanny. If it wasn't for the stripe, I'd swear it was Barbaro. They even have that same wandering gaze.

I'm worried sick about him. I worry about every racehorse, but him especially. How can anyone involved with the horses not worry? His trainer was all excited about his maiden race and he didn't sound the least bit concerned. I note the lack of emotion when he recalls Barbaro.

Although I do believe Barbaro was cared for, seeing as they spent so much money trying to save him. On the other hand, I wonder if it was merely because they still could have made a profit from him as a stud. Or to put on a show to gain attention or sympathy. I wouldn't put it past them. I know his jockey cared about him, though. I wanna read his book, but I'm afraid I'll start crying.

Still, I have very little sympathy for anyone in the racing business because they're well aware of the risks and any self-respecting trainer wouldn't even think about riding a horse under 3 years old. But it happens in racing all the time. You'd think that as many breakdowns as there are, people would step up to the plate and acknowledge that there's something wrong. Breakdowns are not just a freak accident. They happen because they're raced too early, they're often drugged, they're bred for light bone structure, and their hooves are usually misshapen.
(They have under run heels and too much toe, making their pasterns steep as pictured here.)

Eight Belles' owner is on my blacklist. He said nobody knew why she broke down. It was a freak accident.

Bullshit, you dickwad.

I can only hope Nicanor won't turn into another Barbaro. And if he does survive the track, he could be shipped off to Japan or some other counrty to stand at stud. He could easily end up just like Ferdinand and Exceller. If you think it can't happen, you're a naive shithead.

Any horse can end up in a slaughterhouse, it doesn't matter how accomplished or well pedigreed they are. Racing happens to contribute to a hefty chunk of the horses bound for slaughter. About 7,000 American Thoroughbreds are slaughtered each year. That oughta tell you something. Horses in the UK don't have it any better, either.

This is a pretty good article. Accept I find it hard to swallow that many people in the racing industry "just don't know what's going on." You can find this information in all of 30 seconds if you google it, so don't try to tell me they're just blissfully unaware. This information is also found everywhere in magazine articles, on TV, and word of mouth. There's no way they're just oblivious.

That article says people are starting to acknowledge what happens to ex-racers, and I hope it's true. The thing that really pisses me off is that the owners of said horses are up to their noses in money yet they give nothing back to the horses when they retire. They could support their retired horses and still have cash to burn, and they're too consumed in greed to care. It's a real shame, and racing still continues to be masked in glory and wealth.