 |
It's been a long, winding 2008 for trainer Larry Jones, and the 52-year-old is likely to walk away from his barn in 2009.
3 Comments
Add this link to...
Tell a friend
Bury
3 Comments
Add this link to...
Tell a friend
Bury
Comments
Talk about running a guy out of the industry. Fail.
Probably. For someone to have to take the unwarranted hits that he took this year had to play a big part in his decision.
There's also the thought that some people can run these large-scale operations like Lukas and Pletcher. and some don't have that in them, and lose the enjoyment when they don't know all of their horses as well as they used to.
The fun seems to have been taken out of it for him, and that's too bad. At the wire on Derby Day, he was on top of the world, and then seconds later...
I hope that he takes some time off and then comes back and rebuilds his stable at a level he feels comfortable with. I'm not sure what the sport does need, but from what I've seen and heard of the man, it certainly could use more people like him.
But is there any reason to say that he's just going to slowly let his stable size deplete, not replace any, and then fade off into the sunset at 52?
I mean, heck, if you have the money to retire and want to, so be it.
When every article written by a certain columnist regarding racing references the breakdown of Eight Belles as a reason for something negative, it grates on you after a while.
Jones was unlike so many trainers, maybe this move isn't that surprising after all...