They showed their true colors in Md. when he sent the bid in for the casino with no money. It was clear that a check be attached. After years of work by horsemen, many who are still my friends, he screwed the entire backstretch when he did that, undoing many years of work to get to that point. I have nothing good to say about them. They make me sick.
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Allow me to add
one thing than can be tough is playing the horiztonals
because the babies move the tote board late more than any other track
I mean you’ll see 3-4/1 be 6/5 last minute and win with me aboard by 4Comment -
Just Watched it. His operation was a lower joint knee chip or slab fracture. Lower joints are potentially catastrophic whereas upper joint problems can be somewhat manageable. They are like night and day.
Coming back from that is rare at that level.
Man he does have a great eye, head, and overall look and he truly moved about as well as a horse can over the track.
Smooth as silk. Horse was a true freak for being by a 4k stud. Wow.Comment -
Well forgive my ignorance
but when I was a kid like 8-11 years old maybe
i was still learning, shit still Am
Delaware park
but if you had a nickel for every vertical I hit with Ramon Dominguez and Jeremy Rose
you be living large
dont even get me started on the juiced up Scott lake shippers
Every time I talk to you , it just makes me happy
really hope I can contribute in some way to your greatnessComment -
see I played 3 horses in NY yesterday
$24 winner I played to place for $8.50
and a walk around winner in mr buff $3.90 in the 7th
but my 3rd play was on kit KAT Katie in the 4th
seemed we to be circling the field and Irad on the 9 for Wesley Ward
was trying to steady but the damn horse looked like wanted to
hurdle the inner ... if you already spoke on it forgive me
I tend to repeat myself
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also in one word answer
is jerry holly a Anthony dutrow type cheap
not being a west coast fan I have no clue
but stronach just wanna hang heads ? Or he really responsibleComment -
I did not see the race . Don't know about that one.
Never knew Jerry Holl. And don't know whats going on out west but my vibe is, multiples were doing something not cool. Jerry got pinched. It's just a guess but things seem to happen out there that do not happen to the same degree elsewhere. And no horseman has come to his defense. 7,000 wins and all the horsemen are quiet. Hmmm. Something stinks.
Don't know about the A. Dut. question. Help me there.Comment -
Could someone post a link to the Belmont race 4 yesterday in New York
iI’ll try but not good at that stuff
tyComment -
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Jorge is getting outta line
but I’m just a handicapper
so I play the angle
if I get to live my passion like you
I’d have different feelingsComment -
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I really am sorry if I offended you
I just read the formComment -
So a couple of days ago, I thought about posting a reminder that at some tracks around the country and in Maryland in particular, the 4th of July has a long history of being an overgraded rail, thus giving the inside a huge edge.
I forgot to post about this like an idiot and of course, Laurel was a great rail yesterday. The 2 inside lanes ( horses that were on the 1 or 2 path for at least 3/4's of the race), produced 7 of 9 winners and 8 of nine place horses. It also accounted for 6 exactas.
Solid reasoning behind it as they give some of the maintenance crew that day off so they seem to overbake the inside more often than not. Same with New Years eve and day for future reference, especially if it has rain , snow in the forecast. I can't name other tracks that do it but there has to be some. Especially in cold weather venues.
Laurels inside should be nice again today in all probability if anyone is playing it. Do keep an eye on that.
Good luck if you play there.Comment -
I forgot to mention something that pertains to this. Every year, they put the jockeys in the gate and they race on foot through the stretch. And to reaffirm how much less cushion was in side than outside, the one jockey won easily.
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Hey str hope all is well.
Had a question about something I saw Craig Milkowski say on Twitter.it was regarding NYRA having higher purses that makes winning every race not a necessity. I've heard this said sometimes about stakes horses sometimes needing a race before being prepped for something else down the line. He said it's about keeping a condition alive before deciding to graduate from it. (I've heard this is a bigger thing in harness racing)
Is that true, could purses ever be large enough under first place that keeping the condition for a while is a real thing to handicap?Comment -
Real good question.
I will answer with pieces of your question as well as Craig's comments. Oh, and let me say that I the utmost respect for Craig. I think he is a fresh and sharp mind that the game and figures desperately needed.
Q. Is that true, could purses ever be large enough under first place that keeping the condition for a while is a real thing to handicap?
A. No. But with that said, there are always horses running that run 2nd waaay more than win. They are hangers. They just do not want to go by the last horse to pass. They are like gold for a handicapper who needs a horse to run 2nd. To a slightly lesser extent, but still a must play when playing triples, is the horse that has won let's say 2 times, been 2nd 2 times and been 3rd 9 times. Auto throw in for me in the 3rd spot when playing tri's.
But why then did I say no? Because there is no such thing as training a horse to run 2nd but not win. It doesn't exist.
Q. I saw Craig Milkowski say on Twitter.it was regarding NYRA having higher purses that makes winning every race not a necessity.
A. True. It is not a necessity but I never heard a trainer or jockey say before a race, " Let's run 2nd today". If that were the case, jocks would be yanking horses all over the track. Going forward, if you or anyone ever see something occur in a race where you think the rider is "trying" to run 2nd, please post it in here. I would tell you if that is what I see happening and gladly call out the jockey for it.
Q. I've heard this said sometimes about stakes horses sometimes needing a race before being prepped for something else down the line.
A. Yes. I have spoken about this a lot. Horses of the highest caliber are pointed for certain objectives. They are building up for a peak effort. Handicappers must understand this if they want to have any chance in the top tier races. Latest case in point was Maximum Security.
Please refer to post 3512 that Mr. GandT asked. More on this later.
Q. He said it's about keeping a condition alive before deciding to graduate from it.
A. Key flaw in that statement is the word "deciding". Unless a trainer and rider are stiffing the crap out of a horse and "decide" to let it run , but even then, there is no "deciding" to win . And there is no trying to run 2nd and trying to win. That is criminal behavior and yes, I witnessed it a few times in my career, including the St. Valentine's massacre at Bowie. That was so amateurish. Not the rides, the betting pattern. Duh !
There is also no way to train a horse towards a race pointing to be 2nd and then training the horse pointing to be 1st. That's kind of like a baseball player deciding to hit a home run. It just doesn't work like that.
But , I remember claiming a horse that was a notorious hanger and ran 2nd a lot . Something like 1 win and 7 2nds. I claimed him thinking along the same lines a Craig . I got the 5 year old for 8,500.00 (I think), and figured that for 3-4 months, as long as the race was written 4 and up and until the "a other than allowance" went to 3 and up, I could run 2nd several times , make money because of the bigger purse, and drop in back in for 8,500 or 11,500 and lose him in late April or early May. And maybe I get lucky and win. And that is exactly what happened. Finished 2nd a few times and he won the race. Then, I dropped him in and lost him. That worked great. But, I did not train him to run 2nd and then win.
This decision was purely monetary but once I found myself in it, I hated it. I hated running 2nd, except for the fact that the horse gave a solid effort and is happy with what we are doing in the morning. But it was a small consolation. The theory sounds solid on paper but life isn't lived on paper. When they got to the 1/8th pole, I wanted to win!
I would come home after the races and my wife would say, how did you do. If I ran 2nd, I would gripe about it. She would say, that's not bad. That didn't work. Too me, it sucked. I was usually pissed, especially the noses I lost by.
I also remember being frustrated when I ran 2nd in any condition type race and saying to myself, ok, that might work out fine as long as the horse eventually does win the condition. And that is true from purely financial point of view. But I don't remember having a potential new client call me because I ran a bunch of 2nds.
Most times those 2nds did eventually win, but the ones that didn't really sucked.
I guess people think a trainer can run a horse unfit, make smaller % while keeping the condition and then have them fit to win it. That is not at all correct, at least not in my world of training. And nobody in all those years told me about them doing it.
Lastly, when handicappers think about this, understandably, they see it from their side of the game. They are thrilled if the horse they picked 2nd runs 2nd. But it is a different story for the person that works with that horse everyday. Especially if that person is competitive. And who isn't?
Speaking for myself, I am driven with competition. I am so competitive, sometimes, it's ridiculous. I don't have to win but I hate to lose. Don't know if that makes sense or not but that's how I feel.
For someone to think that I would be happy running 2nd or 3rd and not winning has no idea of who I am. The lone exception to that was if I was running a clearly inferior horse against a monster 1-5 or 1-9 shot in a graded stakes race and was running her for black type for future breeding value. In that case, yes, running 2nd or 3rd was great. Going in, I had no chance on paper if the big favorite showed up. But I trained my horse to run her best effort, not to run 2nd or 3rd. She needed her best effort to beat the others in the race. And nobody was beating the monster if she ran anywhere close to her race. But that isn't what Craig was talking about I don't think.
Maybe because we talk about building the best horses in the world up to peak efforts, that it seems logical that it can be done with lesser horses. Well, I guess it is possible but it is also stupid To try and do. Why? Because, the best in the world have a 2nd payday coming, that is, breeding. An "a other than" or claimer has no secondary value at all. One bad step and they are worth nothing and you have lost any chance to earn money while the horse was fit to run.
I think THIS is the key to the entire conversation.
Hope all this helps.
Follow up if necessary.
Last edited by str; 07-07-19, 10:28 AM.Comment -
DMSO is a leg liniment....this is what masks the EPO. it's a known masking agent for a variety of drugs.
Ever hear about this drug STR? Evidently the #6 Horse Henleys joy R9 from Belmont was given this on July 4th. He scored yesterday at 20/1. Thx in advance.Last edited by Easy-Rider 66; 07-07-19, 09:36 AM.Comment -
Yes. It was used by everybody along with something like for instance, absorbine, to help penetrate the skin . It was lightly painted on knees, tendons and ankles for everyday use. Never as some type of prerace deal or anything close to that.
It was totally legal and widely accepted as beneficial to horses. I assume it still is.
We are talking about a 1/2 teaspoon a day if that,pre mixed with absorbine to be brushed on legs as a tightener.
In extreme emergencies of foundering or laminitas, where death is real factor, a vet can give it in IV form to help stop the bone rotation towards the foot that will force a vet to have to put the horse down. That and several other drugs that would never be for racing. I saw that happen twice that I recall. Once, it helped I guess as the horse made it through and went on to race successfully . The other, it did not.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention Easy, I really do appreciate it, but when I hear about this stuff, I still get emotional about it. Obviously because it was a main player in me leaving the game. I just despise the notion that trainers are using biology and chemistry to get an edge. But please do not stop asking about this stuff whenever you hear about it. Don't take what I said that way. It is really important info for you and others to have.
They could easily test for it and have a withdrawal period of whatever period of time it would take to eliminate it for the use you speak of. Or, ban it altogether except for vet use only in emergencies like I spoke of.
Hopefully, if true, stewards, racing secretaries, and management will act quickly and harshly as they should instead of the slow dance around the issue BS that I had to endure until I finally said F it, and " stashed the bill in my shirt".
Keep me posted Easy. Thanks.Comment -
OK STR. Thx for the info. Informative post. Will update you in future if I have further questions.Comment -
Hey STR: An Inquiry on off tracks. I know JBEX and the man behind the East Coast Handicapping Report regard sloppy tracks as a negative overall. I see it as an Opportunity. What's your take, and how did you approach the off going when you trained in MD. THx.Comment -
I can understand why they and others see it as a negative. It is something you won't factor in until it is upon you.
My approach while training was different from as a handicapper.
As a trainer, it was just part of the game. Because of that, I was all over weather predictions well in advance as were most, so you could work certain horses prior to or after a sloppy track. I hated working on an off track. Training was ok, but I avoided works whenever possible. Not because the track was unsafe but more because they could throw a shoe much easier with the suction of the mud, which can cause problems, run down MUCH more easily, ( friction burns on the backs of ankles)( Pimlico was notorious for that), amongst other things. Running down could cost you a race and that was not an option for me, especially if I had 3-5 horses to run in the same spot. Had to be very aware of weather.
But as a handicapper, I do remember being a bit disappointed if it was an wet track. For the same reasons they have. I had handicapped for it to be fair and dry and a lot of that was undone by the off track and scratches.
The one thing that was most important was how the maintenance crew had prepared for the rain. I suppose that is a feel thing with different crews and tracks and the colder months of the year are much more susceptible to a mistake ( more cushion to make a mistake with) , than the warmer months are.
I would always look under the inner rail 1st. If I see it somewhat messy with dirt, that told me they had not graded. But if it is clean and smooth, they had. That's the first place my eye goes to every time I look at a track. Having a feel for what the track might play like is as important to me as having a form. Only because, on certain days, and there are not THAT many, when it's in play, it typically dictates who runs well and just as importantly, who doesn't run well. It can be nothing, subtle, or everything. So I always look there first.
Another problem , or two actually are scratches and speed (if the track is fair or speed favoring), and I say this because even if the track is fair , speed usually does well on sloppy type tracks. Speed usually gets overbet so that stinks if the one you like does.
Smaller fields and the fact that it is harder to close for the horse and the rider when it is mud flying back instead of dirt also comes into play. It is more to deal with for closing riders, like 5 pairs of goggles instead of 2 or 3. That takes a second to pull a pair down and it's usually the little things that add up to losing by a head, not the big things. More mud than fine spray dirt in the horse's eyes as well.A little tougher for the horse as well. The tail gains about 3 pounds more mud than dry dirt if it is not tied up. I notice that I see more tails down in mud than I ever used to. That makes no sense to me at all. I mean, does 3 pounds = a tight photo loss? Don't know for sure, but it might. Another thing I see that makes it more of a guess than if it were dry.
So all in all, dry tracks are going to typically offer less scratches and less little things that a handicapper cannot control. Because of that, I remember structuring by bets differently. I would reduce most bets . But if I could find a number of things that were in my horses favor because of the off track, and the value was there, I would usually increase my bet size on 1 or 2 horses during the wet card. Might skip a couple more races than normal as well. No doubt, it usually changed my typical day playing as just a handicapper. But again, the bias angle was prone to pop up also. Without question, the 1st thing I try and get a handle on, especially when it's an off track.
Good luck if you play the Spa today everybody.Comment -
hey str
lacey gaudet running in the 2nd at saratoga.. 3yo coming out of 2 n1x allowance races in maryland and running at a reasonable clm 25kn2l.. big back numbers as a 2yo...my pick.. thought you'd find it interesting.. #7 passcode (3-1)Comment -
wow wasn't aware of the claim..as you said they probably felt there was a good chance they'd lose him.. that nose worth about $18k
.. as you said tough business
as you probably saw rudy the new owner/trainer of the winner.. noticed he owns and is part owner of many horses he trains.. think but wouldn't swear that he's even bred some horses.. doing real wellComment -
As a general, but super sharp rule of thumb - sharp
speed on the main track, usually is even more pronounced on the turf, while the
opposite is often not the case.
Hey STR: do you agree with above statement? And can you elaborate on it? Also I know you have mentioned that Blinkers on at times gets your attention. Do you put same credence into Blinkers off. I have found lately that is a good angle. Thx.Comment -
So sharp speed on the main is usually more sharp on the turf?
And sharp turf speed is NOT as sharp on the dirt?
Is this what someone is trying to say? Let's make sure I am right about the statement and then I will speak to it.
Q. Also I know you have mentioned that Blinkers on at times gets your attention. Do you put same credence into Blinkers off. I have found lately that is a good angle.
A. Well, yes, you do have to note it and look at the horses form, and see if it makes sense and in theory, if it might help. Because the horse probably ran poorly, the price will typically be a good number but is it true that often times the horse is dropping as well? If so, the two combined are a very interesting combo. Not a bad idea to give any change of equipment a second look. Any time on or off appears, you must respect it. The horse should wake up from it because it is telling you that the horse underperformed last time. That has to be the feeling of the trainer and probably the rider as well.
But for me, Blinkers on is a 1st time situation while blinkers off probably is not. I never saw that many blks. off in my time but they show up alot these days. Honestly never understood it because you can change the cup size and shape anytime you want to so you can run a horse with blinkers but it only be a sliver of cup if you want to. Also, by rule, the horse is supposed to break out of the gate with any change of blks. on or off prior to entry. I can't think that is actually happening to the extent of the changes . I mean, on, sure. But off is probably getting a pass which happens but is technically wrong.
I'm not sure I EVER took them off, once on. I just adjusted the cup if necessary. So I don't really get, blks. off, but that said, they do jump up at a price so yes, I give it a 2nd look and would suggest you do as well.
Let me know about the 1st part of the question and I will answer it Easy.
ThanksComment -
OK Thx STR. Yeah shades off is pretty popular thses days at times. As for the dirt/truf speed that is a statment from the East Coast Handicapping Report. I deleted the report, but that is a copy and paste of what he wrote. Look forward to your take. A trainers perspective.
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