[gate2wire]

"A three-yr-old horse is too young to run with weight on his back for these distances..."

No offense, but 132 years of Kentucky Derbys says they can.

[Mamzelle]

Why would I be offended? I don't speak to the exceptional horse, but the considerable quantity of ruined failures. Some horses succeed and become studs, and are coddled and cosseted and not made to run, lest they risk the stud fees. But if you were a horse-addled teenager in Maryland or El Paso (with the track nearby in Juarez), you got to witness a steady stream of injured and worn-out baby horses put up for auction for riding stables and individuals. Many horse lovers detest racing. I prefer Q-horse races, which are over quicker and don't have so many casualties.

And, still speaking generally, racing T-breds are so flaky that they make bad saddle horses. It's hard to get them to calm down and they are more unpredictable than other breeds. And the trotters and pacers are good for practically nothing--try riding one and keeping your teeth. Not much call for pulling buggies--carriage horses in cities are usually the draft breeds.