11-year-old Silver Train, winner of the Grade 1 BC Sprint in 2005, has died of colic “while shuttling back to the United States from Brazil.” As per usual, disingenuous garbage flows forth from connections’ mouths: Majority shareholder Hank Nothhaft says, “Silver Train was all class, the consummate professional and will be sorely missed.” But then, the truth behind his lament: “Given his proclivity for producing winners, we expected big things from Silver Train for years to come. Given our expansive plans for him in 2014, his sudden passing was a real shock.”
Silver Train was neither “classy,” nor a “consummate professional.” To Nothhaft, and the others who came before, he was but a revenue stream. To the rest of us, he was a horse, an abused one at that.
An “abused” horse he was. Most of these stallions are in that category. The numbers of mares covered in the season here (sometimes in the 100s or) are not enough they are then sent to the southern hemisphere for the season there. The greed in this sorry industry knows no bounds.
Heartbreaking…Silver Train, exploited during his racing “career” right into his breeding “career”. The stress of travel and extreme change of environment, not to mention diet, is known to increase risk of colic. Silver Train, your solitary and unnatural life of racehorse then breeding stallion robbed you of ever living life as a horse should. His connections throughout his entire life?…I wish they would just save their breath and not “lament” his death. The only thing they lament is the hit to their bank accounts his tragic passing will cause. Otherwise, they could care less.
RIP Silver Train. You deserved so much more.
Yes, it’s a shocker that owners and trainers are in this sport to make money…there is bad along with good in all sports. If we only focused on the negative, we could apply this to all sports both animal AND human. How sad that you only see the bad side and have a “casualty watch.” You must be a real hoot at social gatherings!