- This topic has 21 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 5 months ago by
.
- Posts
The Sporting Life are reporting Inglis Drever may be retired after being pulled up at Newbury this afternoon.
The initial diagnosis is he has "sprung a tendon" off his hock, if that proves to be the case then connections are saying he will be retired..
Personally I think he has nothing to prove and he should be left to enjoy his remaining days.
I know this will sound like whay you guys call aftertiming but I wanted him to be retired after the world hurdle..I’m glad that it looks as if he’ll have a good retirement anyway…..
When asked about Inglis Drever back in September, Howard Johnson was very candid about how he’d not need to think too long and hard about retiring the gelding if he failed to sparkle in his first run or two back this season.
I’d call it 1.01 that today’s injury will have made up the trainer’s mind as emphatically as, say, a well-beaten and excuseless third or fourth place finish would have done.
Thanks for the memories, Inglis Drever, and here’s hoping you can overcome your affliction well enough to enjoy a long and honourable retirement.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Hes 9 so i didnt think there was any reason not to continue him running if enthusiasm was still there. Its what he was bred for blah blah blah
Whatever…. if so, hes been a terrific horse
I totally agree with that, but for some reason I felt uncomfortable about it this time..maybe last years world hurdle seemed like the right time stop.
Despite the fact that a few of us shout "whip it" "whip it" when we’re in a driving finish, I think the majority of us do share some compassion towards the long-term well-being of horses. Inglis’s demise strikes the same chords as ‘Spot The Difference’ when many of us were desperate for its owners not to go to the well once too often.
Think that’s easier said than done with some horses who never seem to lose their enthusiasm and considering he was only 9 going on 10 he’s hardly an old age pensioner. I for one would have loved to see him go on and with a 4th Championship before calling it a day.
However it’s not to be, so hopefully he will be as happy in retirement as he was on the racecourse.
It had echoes of Istabraq’s last race.
Denis O’Regan seemed very pensive and slightly pessimistic after the race. I think he sensed that Inglis Drever horse had run his last race.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Despite the fact that a few of us shout "whip it" "whip it" when we’re in a driving finish
Not something I’ve ever shouted personally- do you accompany it with "air-whipping" actions and flaring nostrils at all?
I think retiring the horse after the World Hurdle would’ve been a poor decision.
I’ve never really agreed with the notion of ‘going out at the top’. Inglis was only beaten once last season and looked as good as ever. If the enthusiasm was / is still there, why retire him?
How do you know that last March was the pinnacle? You never know you’re at the top of the mountain until you start making your way back down the other side. Baracouda tried to win the race as a 10YO, only to find a certain horse called Inglis Drever too good, so an unprecedented fourth World Hurdle wasn’t out of the question.
The anthropomorphic belief that all horses crave retirement is often a false one – they’re far too noble to wish their life away!
If the horse still has the ability to match the enthusiasm, then allow him to continue. Retiring a horse who’s showing no signs of decline in attitude or talent will only leave you asking ‘What if ?’
The injury he sustained at Newbury had nothing to do with age. It was just one of those things that can happen to any horse. Thank God it wasn’t anything serious.
In my opinion, it has almost made the decision for Howard Johnson. Taking everything into consideration, I think it’s probably a good time to retire him now.
No ifs. No buts. No regrets.
Thank-You, Inglis Drever.
Excellent post Bosranic. Very well constructed argument.
Horses of all ages can pick up injuries. Its just an unfortunate reality of the game. There are certain horses though who just seem to thrive on racing. They’re well looked after and if they still possess their enthusiasm for the game then there’s plenty of reasons to keep them on the go. Hardy Eustace tomorrow is the perfect example. Probably on the decline at this stage but still has the heart of a lion and is well able to serve it up to the younger brigade.
If this is the end for Inglis Drever’s racing career, then I hope the horse has a long and happy retirement. A great warrior of the staying division and excellently handled by Howard Johnson.
That horse has epitomised everything that is good about horse racing and National Hunt racing in particular
I backed him on course in 2004 in the first race on my first trip to Prestbury Park only to see him lose out to Fundamentalist by 1/2 length – only later did I learn that he pulled a shoe off on the run in. Forgave him for that.
In 2005 I thought Rule Supreme was the sure thing ony to see him beaten into 3rd while Inglis Drever won his first Festival race at unbelievably generous odds of 5/1. I wasn’t on.
Roll on 2006 and I decided that I wasn’t taking any chances so I backed him early only for the horse to miss the Festival through injury
2007 rolls around but they never come back from injury do they and anyway new-kid-on-the-block Blazing Bailey was the smart man’s bet in March. But Inglis Drever defies history and all the trends by regaining one of the big 4 races.
Last year I decided that he was too old at 9 so had another "shrewd" antepost bet on Blazing Bailey only to see ID storm up the hill to claim his 3rd Stayers/World Hurdle crown in 4 years on my second visit to the Festival.
It’s rare that a horse gets me going but I never failed to get goosepimples on the back of my neck when he came off the bridle fully 5-6f from home only to see him come back on with 3f left and out-stay everything.
I backed Inglis Drever today but if he never sees a racecourse again, I will be the poorer for it – just not financially!
I backed Inglis Drever today but if he never sees a racecourse again, I will be the poorer for it – just not financially!
He will never ever race again. Finito.
Excellent post Bosranic. Very well constructed argument.
Horses of all ages can pick up injuries. Its just an unfortunate reality of the game. There are certain horses though who just seem to thrive on racing. They’re well looked after and if they still possess their enthusiasm for the game then there’s plenty of reasons to keep them on the go. Hardy Eustace tomorrow is the perfect example. Probably on the decline at this stage but still has the heart of a lion and is well able to serve it up to the younger brigade.
If this is the end for Inglis Drever’s racing career, then I hope the horse has a long and happy retirement. A great warrior of the staying division and excellently handled by Howard Johnson.
A big well done to HJ. He’s handled the horse impeccably. To bring him back to his best and claim two more World Hurdle titles after nearly a year off with a tendon injury must be even more satisfying.
No doubt he’ll be well looked after in retirement. As you said, a great warrior (a term often overused), and a great advert for NH racing.
It will be a very long time before another staying hurdler eclipses his achievements.
I backed Inglis Drever today but if he never sees a racecourse again, I will be the poorer for it – just not financially!
I was amazed at the amount of times he started odds-against. How many times did he get punters out of trouble? Looks like he won’t be there to save them next March.
Graham Wylie said this morning that a decision won’t be made about the future of Inglis Drever for at least a month.
The injury is not as bad as first feared and he said "He pulled a tendon off his hock only partially and even put some weight on it last night."
I’d like to see them retire him after this. Call it divine intervention or just luck, but sometimes life throws you a cautious reminder and yesterday could’ve been worse.
He’s safe and sound and connections can have no regrets about retiring him too early or carrying on too long.
If they do decide to bring him back, I’m sure they’ll only do it if they think the risk of further injury is very minimal.
I felt that their initial reaction after the world hurdle was to retire him and that the decision to carry on was an afterthought; that’s why I thought that it was a mistake to bring him back this year..sometimes an initial gut reaction can be the right one; sometimes best to think it through for a while..it’s never easy..I suppose I have such memories of Dessies last race and One Man that sometimes it’s nice to see a horse go out at the top of his game even if there are still niggling doubts about it.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.