Scratches
 

11:45 on a day they take 4 races off and no scratches yet? I'll shut up and bet now.

Not to pile on, I don't understand why so many of the MTO's are Vet scratches. Is it that someone has a chance to run and can't produce a healthy horse?

The "vet" has been very busy. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but it is a thing for sure. Trainers must be 'scratching" their heads on a daily basis.

Why would MTO's be different than the body of the field?

On average, we are losing 6/7 horses a day to the "vet." Stats on vet scratches per trainer will be a thing soon enough. The pressure on the vets must be really high. The vets specializing in dogs and cats are making a fortune giving apoquel and ottomax to dogs, and horse vets are getting kicked in the nuts by the horses and the regulators.

A good idea would be for the Jockey Club etc., to sponsor deserving vet students, pay 100% of the tuition, and guarantee them four years of work after vet school at 250K a year to work in the industry. Dr. Hunt and Allday aren't going to be around forever.

That's a more interesting answer than I even imagined, but makes sense as off-putting as it is.