4/27: Incident mars Derby Works..

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Left Bank

That's funny,they seen to RACE just fine in the HEAT, HUMIDITY, AND DIRECT SUN of late morning and afternoon everyday at CALDER.

"Just fine"? Sure, except when it's not and they get into trouble from the heat, and have to be cooled, jugged w/electrolytes and IV fluids, etc.

Horses are alot like people in that regard - rather susceptible to heat stress due to the electrolyte changes that occur with sweating to cool, and the way they breath.

And being Calder doesn't particularly matter, it's hot anywhere in the spring-summer-fall. Believe me, horses would prefer it to be about 40 degrees if they have to work.

The horses are not out for racing for the time and work they get in the mornings, either, are they?

There's no horse trainer in the world - any discipline - who would choose to try and train horses in sun, heat and humidity versus cooler, shadier, drier - the horses just can't do the same amount of work, they couldn't get the same amount of training in, and they have a definite risk of overheating.

At Rolex Kentucky last week, one could see the huge misting fans they have set up at the start/finish to try and lower the outside ambient temperature by 10 degrees or so. To try and keep horses from dying from heat exhaustion/heat stroke as they come off the course during the hotter times of day.

Racehorses are not immune to heat problems, and training all day long would certainly needlessly expose them to that - as they are during races on hot, dry, sunny summer days.