Age is just a number

I couldn’t disagree more with Brett Sturman’s piece on retirement age of racehorses (full story here)

In my opinion. there should not be any retirement age. If a horse is sound and healthy and can make qualifying time, that horse should be able to race, regardless of age. To prove how ridiculous the rule is, why should a 14-year-old horse that is sound/healthy pacing in 1:55 or better, be forced to retire while a 7 or 8 year old that is on and off the stewards list for lameness, sickness and qualifying standards be allowed to continue to race? The answer is simple. Stupidity. Sure, an older horse may not be as fast as it once was but does that mean it’s time to retire? Brett claims it’s sad to see older horses wallowing in low classes and claimers. I am sure if those older horses racing in lower classes and claimers could talk, they would rather wallow than end up in a kill pen.

— Mike Campbell / Milford, PA

Harrisburg coverage

A tip of the cap to HRU for its excellent coverage of the Harrisburg sale. Heather Wilder did a wonderful job with her lively on-site interviews and it was clear that she had done her homework with the insightful questions that she asked.

The numerous articles on pedigrees and sales summaries included in HRU provided an excellent resource document for those of us who were fortunate to attend Harrisburg and even more so for those who were not.

Keep up the good work!

— Charles Foster / Saratoga Springs NY