RACE 2 – ALABAR PACE – 1609 METRES
In part...
PREORDAINED raced roughly and galloped approaching the 700 metre mark and through this the colt almost fell and shortly after was retired from the event. In view of the performance PREORDAINED was stood down until it can requalify on one occasion.
[VVV] That's totally incorrect. This was a gear related issue, not a tractability issue.
That colt was racing absolutely fine only to make a short, sharp & very horrible break as a direct result of him stepping on the trailer of his offside front shoe which had worked its way loose.
Up until that point he did not race roughly in any way, shape or form...and just a single viewing of the head on shot will very clearly back up this assessment.
I point out this anomaly as it is of significant concern to me that if the Stewards cannot get the small things like this correct then what hope have we got for accurate ajudications on far more complicated & / or less immediately clear racing incidents?
Isn't it up to the driver and/or trainer to notify the stewards of something like this however, as well? On one occasion, if I hadn't notified the judges (stewards) that the front hopple carrying strap broke (which is why the horse galloped) the horse would have been stood down one qualifying trial. And the horse WAS, until I notified them (backed up by the driver) about what happened.
Last edited by Flashing Red; 09-02-2011 at 11:27 AM. Reason: spelling
Indeed it is Flashing...and that was exactly what was was done before the horse had even come off the track & then again before the horse was even ungeared. Even notified the Clerk of the Course and asked if he could ride out and retrieve the cast shoe, which he quite happily did.
The head on shot was also watched by all and sundry, the exact point where what happened was highlighted...and the colt got a trial anyway. That's what makes it so damned ridiculous.
In addition, what really spun my head was the comment that "Mr. Fitzpatrick's horse got 1 trial too"...as though there would somehow be some comfort gained from the fact that another horse in the race (which broke entirely of its own accord and in a completely seperate incident) had also been sent back to the trials?????????.
Here in NSW we're about to head into an era of unprecedented prizemoney and so unprecedented competition and no doubt unprecedent pressure on everyone to get it right, breeders, owners, drivers, trainers, stewards, handicappers, administration, race clubs, the lot...and not some or the time or most of the time but ALL the time. Line ball judgement calls are one thing, plain old wrong calls are another.
Last edited by triplev123; 09-02-2011 at 12:19 PM. Reason: bad spelling
lol OK!
It is funny in a way, you're right.
Probably better to laugh at it than to have the sheer frustration of it all cause you to burst into tears.
I have a question regarding driving tactics.. I know there are plenty of them but this is one I would like to know more about...
If a certain horse has raced in a stable for a long period and established a successful racing pattern, only for the horse to be changed stables recently. Are the new connections able to start a new racing pattern WITHOUT notifying stewards?
no
Not sure of the official line on that but I vividly recall Luke McCarthy getting jammed up for a change of tactics with a horse that had only been in his stable for a few starts.
It was previously thought to be in the 'show early speed & lead' category...but after a couple of starts for him & with a host of early leavers to his inside Luke very intelligently jagged it off the gate and looked for a trail, got one, sat in for a piece and then tipped to the outside and won the race...and he still got hauled over the coals & fined under the auspices of the often quite ridiculously & incorrectly applied change of tactics rule/s.
Race 8 Menangle on Monday makes no sense then...
Didn't see that race JCT. I'll go and have a look at the replay.
One thing I will say though is that the Change Of Tactics rule quite incorrectly assumes that every horse has only 1 way of racing to best advantage...be that leading, facing the breeze, tipping off cover late or whatever.
It is a rule that absurdly Pigeon holes horses and makes assumptions that are patently wrong because, depending on the size of the track, the draw, the quality of opposition & plain racing luck all those aspects are liquid...they can and they most certainly do ebb & flow like the tide.
What is the right thing to do coming from the 3 hole on a half mile against moderate opposition one week is the wrong thing to do coming out of the 9 on a 7/8ths against better quality horses the next.
Of course, the fact that it was never introduced to Police such reasonable changes from week to week, rather it was brought in to Police team driving, has continually and completely escaped the powers that be charged with enforcing it.
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