How Our Business gets a bad name......

[Laro]

Well here's the first way. Santa Anita 1/13/07 horse runs 11th on the grass for a $40,000 tag. SAME horse is entered for $35,000 on 1/18/07 at Santa Anita. This horse ran 4th to Stevie Wonderboy in a stakes and now is being used up by new owners. Can ANYONE give me a good reason why someone would run back a horse after on 4 days rest? Horses name is Woody Be Quick, look it up.

[Laro]

Oh, and I forgot to mention he went off at 95 to 1.

[Sam]

Well here's the first way. Santa Anita 1/13/07 horse runs 11th on the grass for a $40,000 tag. SAME horse is entered for $35,000 on 1/18/07 at Santa Anita. This horse ran 4th to Stevie Wonderboy in a stakes and now is being used up by new owners. Can ANYONE give me a good reason why someone would run back a horse after on 4 days rest? Horses name is Woody Be Quick, look it up.

1) they used to do it all the time not even 40 years ago.

2) I've seen it done from time to time, and successfully too. I'd look at the running line for the race on the 13th. Horse may have been a first time attempt on the grass and hated it so he didn't run a lick... which means he wasn't extended at all and is still fresh. I've seen a couple of old hard-nosed campaigners kill a field of nickle claimers and come back to run 3rd at 10k on less than a weeks rest because the nickle race was over so quick and so easy, the horse was still too fresh and a pain in the ass in the barn.

You shouldn't always leap to most negative opinion.

[Tucumcari]

I've seen it done and done well. Sometimes a trainer will decide the horse didn't exactly exert itself in a race, consider it a work and enter up. Maybe the horse came out of the race tearing the barn down, bucking and squealing.
If you aren't aware of the inner workings of this situation, you might be blowing steam.

[Laro]

Well I saw the race, and he ran well in the pack for the whole race, and then gave up. I'm familiar with the horse and just see it as a huge waste.

[doublete]

Now I do agree it isn't always wise... But I ran a horse back on 4 days and she won by 7 going away... I think it was a good idea on my part.

[madelyn]

Well they can always scratch him on the 18th.

Don't forget also that a lot of the bigger tracks issue stalls on a very competitive basis and trainers have to enter so many times a meet. I have pals who are trainers; once in awhile they are pressed to enter a horse, any horse, if a race is looking empty and the threat of losing stalls because of lack of entries is always lurking back there.

[Laro]

Well now I'm probably going to get into a bag of worms. I believe we teach horses to lose, as well as win. This horse ran a couple of good races and then was put into a position to lose, he was run way over his head. He has been ran and ran since, each time running worse. I think his last start he was 8th, and before that he ran 10th or 11th. Now he's being asked to run on 4 days rest, and if not scratched, whats his chances? He was 95 to 1, at 40K on the grass, 3 days ago, now does he have a shot at 40K on the dirt? Now lets just say he breaks down, what is the racing public to think? What am I to think, having watched this horse from the get go?

[doublete]

Well it depends on whether the horse handled the grass or not. If the horse didn't try and didn't grab the surface very well, then it may not have used anything and may like the dirt much more.

So honestly, it's hard to sit back and criticize how a trainer trains. You don't know how that horse ran, whether the horse had issues with the jockey and was running poorly because he/she got a bad ride. There are reasons to a horse running poorly that the public doesn't know, and sometimes for a good reason.
If you are involved in the industry closely, then you would understand all of the extenuating circumstances that could occur, and find it hard to criticize without knowing for sure.

[Tucumcari]

Well now I'm probably going to get into a bag of worms. I believe we teach horses to lose, as well as win.

Absoloutely.
But the horse might not have fallen in love with the turf.
Is it back in for the same price or is there as class drop as well?

[Laro]

Well there is no class drop, but he was offered for $40,000 on the 13th, and now is offered for $35,000. He has tried the turf before, and didn't run well. I raise horses for the track and run some. I'm wondering why we as an industry don't look at what I would say is questionable at best, and ask questions about it. We lament what happens to our horses, after their time with us, but look the other way when they are being trained. We opt to use trainers that cheat, get caught and never really get upset about it. We talk in these forums about horse welfare, but where are we when the events are going on? I'm not saying this horse is the poster child for abuse, and I'm not saying the trainer isn't doing what he thinks is best. I'm just curious why we as an industry, seem to have alot of answers about what we should have done after the fact but NO questions before. The horse industry is a very tough game, and we all know how hard it is to make a living, but I for one wish I didn't have to compete with all the bullshit that makes up our game. We don't milkshake, use steroids, or cheat in any way. We are interested in our horses welfare as well as our own, and I believe that jockeys ought to weigh 130 and have health insurance. Thats my rant for the day........

[trackgal]

I'm with YOU, Laro.

[BJ]

Well now I'm probably going to get into a bag of worms. I believe we teach horses to lose, as well as win. This horse ran a couple of good races and then was put into a position to lose, he was run way over his head. He has been ran and ran since, each time running worse. I think his last start he was 8th, and before that he ran 10th or 11th. Now he's being asked to run on 4 days rest, and if not scratched, whats his chances? He was 95 to 1, at 40K on the grass, 3 days ago, now does he have a shot at 40K on the dirt? Now lets just say he breaks down, what is the racing public to think? What am I to think, having watched this horse from the get go?

Send him to me...I'll fix him up He'll get several months off...massages, lots of jogging and galloping to retrain his misused muscles and give the joints a chance to settle.

Well...at least they aren't trying to lose him. Sounds like they haven't figured him out yet. Who is the trainer?

[magic code]

I saw a filly win on back-to-back days when I was a little girl.

If you watch the small fair circuits, you'll see horses make several starts over a week or a few days.

[magic code]

I saw a filly win on back-to-back days when I was a little girl.

If you watch the small fair circuits, you'll see horses make several starts over a week or a few days.