Lasix VII

(Edit--comment for Bill Pressey below)

Genetics: in this regard there's some trouble figuring precisely the anti-lasix argument. Give it a stab.

Best I'm able to fathom--

--Lasix permits EIPH horses to win Grade I races and become stallions.

--EIPH being a heritable trait, these same stallions pass the EIPH gene to their off spring.

--This geometrically increases EIPH in the population.

--This phenomenon occured only after intro of lasix because previously such stallions would fail to make it to the breeding shed due to their EIPH.

With certain commenters there's also that (irrational) undercurrent that the breed has gotten weaker since intro of lasix and thus the culprit is the lasix.

Counterpoint: preface by noting many horse traits indeed seem highly heritable, and also that none other than Bob Baffert claims that certain stallions produce "bleeders".

As it seems with all of the anti-lasix arguments this one need be dismantled brick by brick to see whether any of it is left standing.

If it comes out of Baffert's mouth it must be true? Or is it? Some stallions--compared to other stallions--are passing on EIPH. Let's take note this belief has been around forever. When did I first hear this statement but the very first time I entered a backstretch in 1989. Trainers horse bleeds, it must be the stallion. Dare we think these same beliefs were also around in 1950 and 1925?

Common sense should immediately on hearing this argument produce some healthy skepticism. Other than saying "it ain't true". After all, if D.W. Lukas, Baffert and company believe it there's something to it, right? Let's take a closer look.

Something else I've noted is that the particular "stallions" in question are never named. There's never been any research. I'd bet my last coin that neither the stallion owner nor breeding farm have any belief in Baffert's remark. And, as food for thought for anyone that's taken a close look at numerous stallion stats as I have, albeit some time ago in the mid 1990s--stallion stats tend to be very consistent across the breed. While this or that stallion occasionally excels or falls flat in slight degrees, almost all of the them produce 70-80% runners and 50-60% winners. If u bother to look at the stats you'll see very little difference between $5000 stallions that have been around a while and $50,000 stallions in this regard.

But, Baffert et. al. (entire training community) have us believe that for the trait of EIPH this is relegated to some few. Let's take a note of some more info that we do understand. Trainers are the biggest excuse makers going. Your horse fails to run well, something happens to your horse? Is it ever the trainer's fault? Never been in my history. Instead, there's always some other reason besides the training and handling. Trainer's horse bleeds--is the "stallion" the most convenient excuse for explaining this bad event to the owner? That's the one thing nascent owner will never question. The trainer must know, right?

While anybody that's been around awhile snorts coffee through your nose reading such nonsense, let's conclude this by leaving the question open. Nobody knows if certain stallions pass on EIPH more than other stallions. It's supposition at best. Maybe true, maybe untrue. Likely untrue, in view of what will be considered next.

Training:
Wed. 8/17: riderless speed work.
Thurs. 8/18 4 times up and down the hill, walk-trot-gallop. The bridle came just to the edge of the wound he has between the ears. Phew. Dodged a bullet there as that will take about 3 weeks to heal.

((Edit--Bill--txs. again for comment--hoping to get to a Lexington sale and meet u one of these days! expect by time u get to symposium u will be converted to my way of thinking :) :). Did the running experiment way back when but purposefully,and drank no water at all from about 6 p.m. to the run at 9:00 a.m. During the run I took note of zero performance declines although unmeasured, of course. I was at least slightly dehydrated at the time, and failed to feel any differences in the way I normally felt during the same run. Certainly this should be looked at and measured--my whole point at my conclusion.)