what does it take to scratch a horse????
 

So im all excited about drilling for oil in the 8th at CD and i watch in horror as the horse did just about everything but do a bucking bronco impersanation at the gate but they dont scratch him???? WTF i watched my money gone as soon as they open the gates of course horse runs like his tail is on fire for about 3/4 of the race and fades bad. What does a horse have to do to get scratched at the gate? If i ever wanted one to be scratched that was it.

wac, i know you were looking forward to that race...i was too -- however i would have never taken him at the odds he went off at, what? around 3-1?

Having run poorly on the turf his only try, and his maiden breaker on the Turfway poly, he is still a question mark on turf. I figured he would be more overlooked -- but I would bet that many serious handicappers saw what we saw his last out and tabbed him for this trip, depressing his odds.

sorry to hear he lost, and sorry to hear you lost your money -- could you have cancelled the ticket?

no big bet i know i know everytime i bet a horse whose odds i think are too low i NEVER friggin win. but just hated to see him run and not have something on him. i think ur right everyone must have seen what we saw and figured a move like that on the T would prove useful but oh well thats why they call it gambling would look to see more gate works and will tab him for his next out but dont know where that is gonna be. any guesses where he will go next. hes got couple more weeks to try CD again but i think will be too quick esp after he freaked out like that today. let me know what you think

i'll try to remember to let you know when i see him running again.

i don't want to claim to know anything about placing horses -- but i'd say polytrack is the way to go with him.

after today, we can say that his two turf races have been atrocious -- i just figured that this second time on the turf might do the trick.

his maiden win was on poly, and he was full of run at keeneland on the poly and got a terrible trip. seems to be his best surface.

i understand how you feel with wanting to have a bet on him. i used to love this horse in chicago named Bailar. she was a total piece of ****, but she always came from way way way back. every now and then she'd crack the exacta, and it'd more than make up for all the times she passed one horse.

for some reason or another she was one of my favorites, as bad as she was and as much cash as she burned for me -- or i should say that i burned betting on her, because it's not her fault i kept being stupid :) but you don't want to miss that one time she comes home in front at 30-1!

WAC - If it's any consolation, you're not the only one who lost $$ on this horse... I threw a few bucks on him this morning before I left for work based solely on the potential for improving second time on the turf and what was posted on this board... if I had been at the track and watched the odds drop that low and seen what you witnessed, that's not a bet I probably would have placed... but it was a chance I was willing to go with at 6 this morning.

DerbyCat: rule #1: never bet before your morning coffee! GRL

i would certainly consider giving him one more chance -- just because of the price, and it's obvious from the poly races that the talent is there for him to win.

Had a horse break through the gate at the Spa before a race in July. Ran to the teller, Beth was there for this, and was able to cancel it and put it on another. Had no more than 30 seconds for this. Normally you are screwed. Especially when betting from home.

Earlier this year they made new rules in England that if a horse doesn't load into the gate smoothly it is scratched, period. No more fooling around, no more making the other horses wait and wait and get them agitated. You don't load, you are out, period.

Much better for the other horses and bettors. Here ? They just keep screwing around forever so the tracks can get your money. I even saw one horse recently that got loose and they couldn't corral him for 5 minutes. Guess what ? They forced him into the gate and made him run.

There are just no standards for loading into the gate, breaking through the gate, licensing agents, the list goes on and on with horse racing. It's like a private club to screw as many people as possible, it seems at times.

So...from a non-bettors standpoint....can a trainor have him scratched if he doesn't load smothly?

I had forgotten about that...yeah, Rand had to RUN to get his bet cancelled...I think if they break they gate they should be an automatic scratch...the horse never wins and the race is a waste of training, and the bettor gets screwed in the process.

And they have full fields in England???:p

Sharp finger nails will do it :p

That sure brings back memories of some posts after Barbaro's Preakness......

FWIW, I know SOME horses have won races after breaking through. But I agree that most are spent after having gone through the gate twice on race day.

Is this the lady? Looks like an exacta horse. Bought herself out, though.


ANT'S IN HER PANTS, 1990, Broad Brush- A Slim Chic by Angle Light.

1999 Bailar,B,f,Rhythm 4 39 2 5 4 90,540 ( 87) 0.94
North America 2 YO Record 3 0 0 0 1,560 ( 66)
North America Turf Record 14 1 1 2 33,720 ( 86)
North America Dirt Sprints 6 0 0 0 4,590 ( 80)
North America Dirt Routes 19 1 4 2 52,230 ( 87)
North America Muddy/Sloppy 7 0 2 1 17,910 ( 87)
DP = 11-9-16-0-0 DI = 3.50 CD = 0.86 AWD = 8.16
Sold at Hip # Sales Price Sire Avg Rank Stud Fee
KEEJAN 2000 1449 $11,500 $16,575 ylg ( 9/16) $15,000

sure is, oh how i loved her -- i've never had so much fun hoping a single horse would get up and win a race. sadly, i only got to see it once after her maiden breaker