Her argument :
This was my response :That's far too reaching to say no one is going to want to stand this horse at stud. It's your opinion, not shared by others of that I am certain. If Keen Ice can get Calumet to stand him I don't think it's reaching to say that they or others wouldn't be interested. He fits right into their stallion parameters, frankly. ..... As far as calling for him to be gelded? a multiple graded stakes winner, amongst which is the grade 1 JCGC, sound and raced at 2,3,4, and now 5, that in my opinion is ridiculous,...
I love Max, he was a fun horse to follow for most of his career, but he’s toast. My idea about gelding him was that maybe he could be retrained for a new career. I don’t know enough about the industry to be certain, but I can’t imagine that anyone other than small time farms in minor racing states would be interested in standing him, and even then, why? He has zero speed. I know that worse horses, unraced even, have gone to stud, but most of those at least had some speed and pedigree (HC is such a disappointment; the market was right about him).Keen Ice not only won the Travers and finished 2 in the Haskell as a 3 year old, but he finished 3rd in the Classic the next year, and then won the Suburban and finished 2nd in the Whitney and JCGC as a 5 year old. There is no comparison to Max, who wasn’t as good a 3 year old and has completely collapsed in his last 3 races; he’s been awful, and that’s putting it mildly. Keen Ice is by Curlin, Max is by Honor Code, a sire so ice cold he didn’t get 30 mares bred in 2021, and who’s having a very mediocre year in 2022. This idea that his offspring improve as they mature ? So far, for the most part, even that hasn’t proven to be true.
Calumet has supported HC more than anyone, and they have been rewarded by a group of terrible horses; I’d be shocked if they bought any more or HC or bred to him, nevermind stand Max.
No one is going to care that he’s running as a 5 year old when they are by far the worse races of his career - excepting the Classic, late in his 4 year old season. It’s clear that Happy Saver is much better, and so was Mystic Guide; the Suburban will be viewed as a fluke, and probably the Gold Cup, too, as he beat a weak field with slow figures.
So....am I way off base here ?