"People do think about it," Steele said. "A lot of people think, `If I'm in the commercial end of it, I have to breed to [bloodlines] the buyers want to see.' I need to find an animal that has some sizzle that attracts people to want to breed to this animal.
"I'm personally trying to breed the best horses I can. The best horse I can breed has to be the fastest horse."
Dr. William Solomon, a veterinarian and a breeder in New Freedom, Pa., doesn't believe the choice has to be one or the other.
"Since the beginning of time, we've bred for both endurance and speed," Solomon said. "I don't think you sacrifice one or the other. There has been a tendency to push horses to do more at an early age."
Bill Boniface, general manager at Bonita Farm in Darlington and breeder of Maryland's last Preakness winner, Deputed Testamony, is adamant when he says there's no connection between breeding and breakdown.
"I don't think we've gotten to the point where we're causing unsoundness problems," Boniface said. "Looking back at three or four generations, we've been doing the same things for 100 years. ... I don't think there is a breeding problem."
While the industry has used technology and synthetic surfaces to make the racetrack a safer place for horses, the perception of racing suffers a major hit with each high-profile breakdown.
"I don't think there's any question the perception is that we have too many injuries," said Dan Rosenberg, who runs a thoroughbred consulting firm. "To me, this is not a question of needing to clean up our image; we need to clean up our act."
Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito, who will bring 3-year-old colt Stevil to this year's Preakness, laments the diminished durability he sees in horses today.
"We've certainly debilitated the breed," he said in Louisville. "We've been talking about that for 15 to 20 years. They don't make horses like they used to. Right or wrong?
"We know that. You can't blow one out on Tuesday and race him on Saturday, like Calumet used to do. You can't run them every week like they used to do. You look at the 2-year-olds of years ago, they ran every week. They just don't make them like they did. That's obvious."
The commercialization of the sport, escalating stud fees and pressure to produce early returns on investments have lent a bottom-line, syndicate atmosphere to what once was a family-run operation. Roy Jackson, one of racing's most venerated breeders, notes the rise of commercial breeders and the changing face of ownership.
