Rags-to-riches horse and jockey compete for Triple Crown glory

UK Telegraph ^ | June 3,2012 | Rosa Prince

[Amberdawn]

Some horses prefer one racing surface over another. After a race, you’ll hear jockeys say that the horse didn’t like the “feel” of the track. Sometimes this is just an excuse, but some horses do run better on grass or in mud than others. Most trainers will ship their horses to the next track ahead of time to give the animal a ‘feel’ for the surface. Tracks tend to be deeper near the rail which slows a horse down. There are also better “racing lanes” on a track, where water drains away more quickly, leaving a faster surface.

[scram2]

Thanks, I’m always amazed at how little I know and how much there is to learn.

I wish I had believed this when I was a kid.

[scram2]

Thanks

[scram2]

I guess what so amazes me about this is the Horses are so powerful and yet takes so long for them to fully recover from the effort the put out on a race.

I wonder what the equivalent would be for a human? What action would they have to engage in which would take a month to recover from? The first thing coming to mind is a prize fight but that’s physical abuse in the sense people are whaling on each other while a Horse race is more akin to a foot race. Do long distance runners take a month to recuperate fully? I have no idea but it is very interesting and I thank you for your answer.

[jpsb]

Minor correction Rags won the Kentucky Oaks with takes place the day before the Kentucky Derby. It was an easy win for her, she did skip the Preakness and was never the same after her all out effort to beat Curlin in the Belmont. Curlin however when on to win many more races and became a 2 time Horse of the year.

totally agree about the "modern" horse, not the same as earlier horses like Forego and Kellso.

[Amberdawn]

I can only guess that running a marathon or scaling Mt. Everest would be equivalent. In my opinion, horses are coddled too much. If not for the speed they’re expected to go at, American horses would race more often. Some do, but horses of Triple Crown caliber make more money at stud than in racing, so the incentive is to baby them. Not that long ago, Standardbreds, or Harness racing horses would run heats, sometime 2 or 3 in ONE DAY. The Grand National, in England, is 4 miles over 30 fences, but the average speed is much slower.

[Amberdawn]

Either way, RTRiches had 5 weeks off before the Belmont. I got to see Forego and Willie Shoemaker at Delaware Park in 1976. It wasn’t a race, but a post parade, with him cantering in front of the grandstand. The track gave out baseball hats with Forego on them in yellow and white. Unfortunately, I no longer know where the hat is. —SIGH—