Say Good-bye to the Handicap?
 

Great article in the DRF:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/82847.html

I may not be a big fan of Lava Man, but seriously...this horse has been dominating everyone in California for the past few years and this is all the weight he gets? I agree with Jay Hovdey in this article..why bother?

Also, here is the stretch run of the 1982 Big Cap that Hovdey refers to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXIhVl8J8-E

What makes it tough is they are trying to get top names to run.Would Lava Man's trainer run him at 127lbs.?? Yes,but would Bobby Frankel do it with a similar star horse? ..........Hard to say,but I'd lean towards no.He wouldn't run.So,do they give out weights according to who is training the star horse? No,they shouldn't.So,to be consistent,they go too low.

tis a shame that it's come to this. but it's a sad reality, true handicap races are a thing of the past. 124 pounds, that's a sad joke. yeah, and vosburgh is turning over in his grave--but then, he's probably been doing that for years.

can't help thinking tho that lava man would get a ton more respect if he lost by a neck while giving 25 pounds than he ever would toting 124, barely conceding weight and winning.

SO, if Frankel would scratch he'd be throwing away a chance at a million purse. Let him in that situation. Racing secretaries should not be bullied by trainers and too many of them are wussing out.

I wish that were true, but I don't think it's even close. People focus on the result, not the weight.

What does the racing secretary win by risking Frankel's scratch? They lose Frankel's horse, and they are left with a field of 2nd stringers. The Grade I suddenly looks like a Grade 3 with little fan interest.

I agree with your goal, but it would take a longterm view by multiple racing secretaries, and that's not in the cards IMO.

--Dunbar

not so. i remember when congaree barely lost to milwaukee brew--all the praise was for congaree, who was giving weight. horse fans recognize a top performance when they see it, whether an ultimately winning or losing effort. look at all the praise seattle slew got, and continues to get, in his narrow loss to exceller! forego certainly didn't suffer any hits to his reputation when he lost-kelso or citation either.