Wait, hold on, you guys! ... let me get some popcorn, and a soda .... :D

I just don't know what's so hard about having only a certain number of horses on the track at one time. Of course, accidents are that, but if they are there to work they should work, get off the track, and then put the next one on. Isn't that how they do it at the sales?

three horses at a time on the track? there aren't enough hours in the day to have training like that, with the sheer amount of horses in training-and the fact that usually training occurs in a set number of hours a day before live racing. there's no way.

we're about to have a race with 20 starters, stable ponies, and outriders in front of over 100k people, all on the track at the same time. i would think the track, during training hours, can handle more than a few horses at a time.

this incident is far from the norm. there's no need for a knee jerk reaction after a two year old colt bolts. it's a damn shame, true.
could there be some changes? perhaps. three horses on the track. that's a bit much i feel, and most likely impossible.

OH MY GOD.

:zz:

Could there be some changes ? Perhaps ? A bit of an understatement to say the least .

With these fine suggestions I wouldn't be surprised if Sumitas and Chuckles are named co-CEO of the Breeder's Cup by the end of the day.

I don't think we should end at workouts though...how about each horsey entered on the day's card run by themselves and then the stewards can determine the winner?

I have the answer
 

Get about 15 of these and line them up at the finish line. I hear they can give the distance, calories burned, and heart rate. Have the first 15 go, then the next, then the next etc. There, problem solved

Now you're thinking!

The Derby can be the annual BJI Contest. :tro:

I wonder if Mike Judge found inspiration for his brilliant documentary film, "Idiocracy" by reading threads like this one.

Or horses in general for that matter. This could've happened with just 2 horses on the track. Horses are nuts.

lol

a bit, yes. a single horse can get himself in all kinds of trouble.


those of you pissing your pants and posting in hysteria... take the # of tracks in a day, multiply that by days they run, mulitiply that by # of horses trained per day...take that # and compare it to the two bizarre recent incidents, and give me the # you get. thousands of horses train every day. THOUSANDS. and you want three at a time on the track. let's see.....3 per five minutes. that's 36 horses an hour. that's ten hours to train 360 horses. yeah, that's doable.:rolleyes:

as for those applauding pletcher-his concern, as well as the others with derby horses, is that a crazy two year old was on the track with the crazy three year olds that are derby-bound. he suggested the stars get the first few minutes after the REN break to themselves, so that you don't have a green colt taking out one of the big guys(but don't forget, a horse you may have heard of, point given, got loose on the track-remember?). not a bad idea for derby horses, but it certainly doesn't come close to some of the suggestions (hilarious as they are) on here.


newsflash-the track is a dangerous place.

Maybe have a nice talk with all the horses, so they don't act like animals?

Hey, that's what I said earlier!

Though I guess for some people, any hint of subtlety gets lost in a fog of numbness.

I'm not referring to you, by the way.

You don't even need 2, it can happen with just one that gets spooked, takes off and can run into anything. When a horse gets scared, they can be unpredictable and very hard to handle.

"This morning's incident is the perfect opportunity for Churchill Downs to realize they need to do this," Pletcher said. "Just for 10 minutes after the break. It would be a great idea. It would be great for the Oaks and Derby horses and safer for the horses of every caliber."


How does this make this proposal make things safer for the non-Derby horses? In reality, there's a reason why it's crowded after the renovation break at any track: trainers of horses of even a lower caliber prefer a freshly harrowed track to work over. Pletcher just wants yet more advantages for his expensive stock.

Other than each horse requiring about 5 minutes to train, multiplied by the number of horses in the barns. You soon realize that Todd's horses alone would take you beyond post time.
They do it like that at the sales because the works are being viewed by buyers with an eye to purchase and because they have ALL DAY to work them and each horse is just doinhg one thing, running for 1 or 2 furlongs. There are several thousand horses at a place like Belmont how do you train them one by one?
There are "rules of the road" out there but horses are horses. They dump their riders and crash into other horses or through the fences. Horses jogging/moving slow are kept to the outside and they go clockwise. This is for the same reason that if you are walking along a roadside you are supposed to OPPOSE traffic; so you can see on coming faster moving things.
Gallopers and breezers go counterclockwise, faster moving horses staying to the rail. Everyone who rides knows that it can be dangerous and their self preservation instinct saves alot of lives.
Young horses are often asked to stop and look around. Riders just sit in a relaxed manner to relax the horses. It gets them used to sights and sounds and gives them the idea that the whole "go to the track" thing is fun and easy. You see alot of this anytime alot of babies are around, like Keeneland or Churchill or Saratoga.

Absolutely correct. Most horses are always looking for a way to kill themselves. Big, fast bodies with small brains = trouble. I love horses though, and choose to spend my free time with them everyday, regardless of how goofy they are. :)