OHRIA executive director Hector Clouthier today emailed Trot Magazine conveying his full agreement with editor Darryl Kaplan's July 2008 installment of The View, which states the standardbred industry needs Somebeachsomewhere to race at age four.
Click here to read The View in English.
Click here to read The View in French.
Trot Magazine wants your feedback on this issue. Click here to send feedback.
The contents of Clouthier's email appear below.
I unequivocally agree with your commentary regarding Somebeachsomewhere. Harness racing is in desperate need of good news and positive publicity. The magnificent steed Somebeachsomewhere and his connections provide that in spades! They are a great human interest story. The general public can relate to the 'little guys' taking on the 'big guys' and winning. If Somebeachsomewhere continues to dominate as he has thus far, it would be a tragedy if he did not return as a four-year-old.
I can remember the awesome Adios Butler racing as a five-year-old at Richelieu Park in Montreal (1961). The 'Butler' drew a record crowd (25,000) and the atmosphere was electric!
More recently, we enjoyed the excitement and exhilaration of watching the 'Pacing Machine' Cam Fella and the regal trotter Moni Maker race as aged horses. In the thoroughbred ranks it was the charismatic Cigar racing as an aged horse. We need a superstar to lead us out of the doldrums.
We need to provide incentives to guarantee that our star horses such as Somebeachsomewhere race as aged performers. Money talks; always did and always will, so we need to find the money to fund more lucrative races for our aged horses.
Let's face it, the reason champion thoroughbreds such as Cigar and Curlin race as aged horses is because they can run for $5 million in the Dubai Cup and $3 million in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Perhaps a series of $1 million races throughout Canada, United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand culminating with a multi million dollar final could be realized. It has to be dramatic to draw the public's attention.
Can it be done? Absolutely, but it would take consensus which seems to be lacking in our sport. Perhaps, this type of decision and others could be under the jurisdiction of a single individual (woman or man) who has the passion, knowledge and fortitude to do the right thing for horse racing. So far the only one who fits that criterion is a horse!
Somebeachsomewhere as a four-year-old -- It's a go!!