The definition of nobbling:
Quote:
tr.v. nob·bled, nob·bling, nob·bles Chiefly British
1. To disable (a racehorse), especially by drugging.
2. To win (a person) over.
3. To outdo or get the better of by devious means.
4. To filch or steal.
5. To kidnap.
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I'd like to see A. C. Avila asked about Tornado Allie's first two career starts.
She certainly has the look of a horse who could have been the victim of nobbling:
In her first two starts, she ran BRIS speed figures of -2 and 28. She ran Beyer figures of -0 and -0 in those first two starts.
In both races, she showed no speed at all and still tired throughout. Who bets a horse at 12/1 odds, off of two -0 Beyers, in Southern California?
You're not supposed to see nobbling anymore. In this era, the purses are way too large to justify it. It really should never happen, and especially never happen at bigger circuits.
One of my fathers bigger betting scores came that way. He nobbled a horse named Nat's Thunder with reserpine in a race at Commodore Downs, and brought him back to win a race on a Saturday at Thistle Downs in the summer. He says he profited over 20k betting the race by catching the exacta. In those days, Thistle Downs handled well and was a far more respectable track than it is today. Antonio Graell rode there at the time, and he used him when he could get him. But, he'd bring in a Commodore jockey if he was trying to cash a bet.