Classic Empire wins on wrong lead

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Secretriat34

CE wins the AD on the wrong lead.

is the right lead the foot that was sore
does it matter

I think you are a little bit confused. Classic Empire switched back to his left lead about 3 seconds before the wire. That is not the same as a horse who didn't switch leads. You will sometimes see a horse who does not switch leads and stays on his left lead all the way down the stretch. That is a very bad sign. That is not what happened in this case. Classic Empire switched leads perfectly at the top of the stretch. He was on his right lead all the way down the stretch but switched back to his left lead right before the finish line. That's not that big of a deal. As NTamm said, it was most likely because the horse got a little bit tired.

There have been plenty of good horses over the years who switch back to their left lead in deep stretch. Funny Cide comes to mind. He switched back to his left lead in deep stretch in both his Ky Derby and Preakness wins.