Talk about a true handicap race

SOREHOOF · #1 04-09-2007, 04:44 PM

The jumpers carry that much and more, and run that far or farther all the time.

ArlJim78 · #2 04-09-2007, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOREHOOF

The jumpers carry that much and more, and run that far or farther all the time.

I haven't watched a whole lot of jumpers, but based on what I've seen, breakdowns are commonplace.

SOREHOOF · #3 04-09-2007, 04:57 PM

More so in Europe where they are running up and down hills on some pretty rough tracks (not to mention 25 horse fields). On the flats at Saratoga and (I think) Colonial it's not really that bad. I gotta believe it's the jumping more than the weight.

ArlJim78 · #4 04-09-2007, 05:19 PM

Yeah I was speaking of the hilly races in Europe with lots of jumps.
It looks grueling.

SOREHOOF · #5 04-09-2007, 05:22 PM

They had one late last year or early this year where about half the field broke down. There are a few hilly tracks here but they don't look to be as rough as in Europe.

ArlJim78 · #6 04-09-2007, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOREHOOF

They had one late last year or early this year where about half the field broke down. There are a few hilly tracks here but they don't look to be as rough as in Europe.

I think I saw the same race, it was like a war of attrition.

lemondropkid1 · #7 04-09-2007, 05:37 PM

They show these races Saturday mornings on, I believe, TVG. They're actually pretty cool. Saw one last week where 3 horses dumped their riders over the fences. The horses were just fine. One actually stopped running, but the other 2 kept going. One of them actually came in first!

GenuineRisk · #8 04-09-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOREHOOF

More so in Europe where they are running up and down hills on some pretty rough tracks (not to mention 25 horse fields). On the flats at Saratoga and (I think) Colonial it's not really that bad. I gotta believe it's the jumping more than the weight.

I think the phrase is "Speed kills" and a horse carrying more weight just isn't going to run as fast as he would under lighter weight (ergo the whole theory of handicapping, right?). So, actually, in terms of stress, the slower the horse goes, the less stress on the legs. I've actually thought it would be interesting to see if raising the minimum weight horses can carry would reduce breakdowns because they just couldn't go as fast, though I imagine a 5-pound or even 10-pound increase might not be enough to make a difference, though it'd be healthier for a lot of jockeys.

SOREHOOF · #9 04-09-2007, 05:31 PM

I totally agree with that. Especially for the Jockeys.

I read somewhere that it was the high speed through the turns that was hardest on the horses.