Justify has been retired

[Lucas Davenport]

https://www.horseracingnation.com/news/ ... rom_racing

[Lori Hamill]

I guess I'm not really surprised by this.

Look forward to seeing his cute foals.

[Nick Gilmore]

With a deal in the works with Coolmore there’s just too much money on the line. It’s nice they will parade him for the fans.

[Glenn Escobar]

With a deal in the works with Coolmore there’s just too much money on the line. It’s nice they will parade him for the fans.

I will send pictures from said parade.

[Nick Gilmore]

With a deal in the works with Coolmore there’s just too much money on the line. It’s nice they will parade him for the fans.

I will send pictures from said parade.

I’ll hold you to that! I’m so jealous!

[Mike Springer]

Just got a new camera, but I won't be at Del Mar until Sunday. Bummer

[Emily Klein]

Here are a couple pictures I got of Justify when he paraded at Churchill Downs on June 16.

https://flic.kr/p/KP4uv2
https://flic.kr/p/29qvg8C

[Rochelle Bos]

It’s really sad that he didn’t even get to race for a full year, and only 6 starts but yeah with all that breeding money on the line I can see them not wanting to risk him.

[Tan Gent]

Retiring as an undefeated triple crown winner is a smart move.

[Fern Thompson]

I read where he was retired due to an injury, so I think it was a great idea. I couldn't believe some of the posts I was reading at a few of the Facebook pages.

[Dan Kauffman]

“I couldn’t believe” and “Facebook” (or any kind of internet comments) should not be in the same sentence, unfortunately.

[Cleo Patra]

Smart economic decision to retire and sell him. Anyone who has ever owned a horse of any kind knows they can find a way to drop dead or injure themselves even with the best care. Shame that he isn’t sound enough to race on though.

It does make me wonder what it is about America that breaks horses down what seems, anecdotally, way more often than Australia. Like I ride one 6yo gelding with a lifetime stats of 51-22:6:3. He’s more than 3/4 American bloodlines so it can’t just be breeding. It’s quite common to see even top level horses here racing on to 5, 6, 7 and 8 years old. Are dirt tracks just way harder on them? Is it treatment related? I’m sure there’s probably been studies done but I haven’t seen them so if anyone has any insights I’d be interested!

[Carole Hanson]

I’d be interested too Cleo, European horses also seem more durable and I wonder whether that’s because of the primary surface they race on or because of the training methods?

[Tammy Stawicki]

Mineral loss due to lasix(calcium in particular) is another possibility to throw out there

[Stormy Peak]

A long time ago, I read how Bute, a common anti inflammatory used in USA race horses...could be a big factor in break downs.
The study had like ten horses on it and ten not on it...each getting the same amount of training. But when one of the bute free horses showed signs of soreness or swelling...it was allowed a day or two extra of rest, rather than be given a NSAID drug.

NSAIDS such as bute slows or even stops bone growth, and it also ironically dries up the same joints it's being used as an anti-inflammatory on.

Horse in training develop micro fractures in the bone...those horses not using bute ... their bones on rest days, was closing up those micro fractures and thus even making the bone stronger...due to the layering of more bone. Those horse on bute...their micro fractures were not healing...and in time, met up with other micro fractures...and the bones were much more fragile and their joints got worse while on the medication. Once the horses were taken off the stuff... their bones showed signs of regrowth and their joints started to get the lubrication they needed from the body.

After I read that report.. I tried my own little experiment. This was about a year before my back surgery in 2001. I had been taking ibuprofen, which according to that report did similar things in humans as the bute did for races horses. I use to wake up and barely...and ever so slowly and carefully, have to straighten out my left knee as the pain was eye watering...just a grinding in that joint, due to an injury from some years prior. I also had a lot of back pain..and had to carefully get out of bed.

So, I decided to quit taking the ibuprofen to see what would happen... in like 3 days... I was able to move my left knee with almost no pain to it, and I found my back hurt a lot less too. After a week, I couldn't believe how much better I felt, especially in the mornings, and that knee pain I had, had for 2 or 3 years was gone.

I'm very convinced that using NSAIDS on a sore horse, rather than resting it a day or two, is one of the reasons there are break downs now...because at least from what I remember reading, the European runners didn't use those things on their horses during racing.

As far as Justify goes... I'm so very sad to see them retire him, and I doubt it's do to injury... I think they say that to deflect criticism for retiring a young perfectly healthy horse. I miss the days when even a Triple Crown winner was allowed to race to the end of their 3yr season and often raced as 4 year olds

Stormy