DRf.com says detention barns will be in operation when Belmont opens May 4. Horses will be detained 6- 8 hours before they race(nowhere near enough to catch cheaters, IMO)
\"Richard Dutrow, Jr. says he \'gets aggravated\' when his horses get beaten by horses trained by people he thinks \'aren\'t playing the game the right way\' \". No comment from this corner, though I would love to know
which trainers he percieves have an edge over him.
Kiaran McLaughlin makes the point that it is disruptive to some horses to remove them from familiar surroundings for even a short period of time, which nobody can deny. Unfortunately, it will affect some animals more than others, and we as handicappers/ bettors will have no way of knowing which animals are adversely affected. For this reason, although I believe Detention is necessary, our game may have become just a bit more difficult.
>Unfortunately, it will affect some animals more than others, and we as handicappers/ bettors will have no way of knowing which animals are adversely affected.
They didn\'t do away with the Post Parade at Belmont did they??
Silver,
I know what you mean but sometimes a horse won\'t show that it\'s \"unnerved\" but will race poorly from the disruption.I\'m for the detention barn, but I think there will be some new handicapping challenges created by it.
With ALL of what\'s happening in New York, it would seem wise to thread lighty at the windows until you can see how this affects the racing, if at all.
...and post parade observations really are of no help if you are making multiple race wagers..
\"Richard Dutrow, Jr. says he \'gets aggravated\' when his horses get beaten by horses trained by people he thinks \'aren\'t playing the game the right way\' \"
Is that not the classic case of the \"pot\" calling the \"kettle\" black?
Maybe they need a Schooling Detention barn. This will become the next big excuse replacing \"he didn\'t handle the track\".
I will take Detention over Drugs any day of the week.
At least you know they are all getting it.
First of all, I agree that 6-8 hours is probably not enough. But where normally I would be concerned that this was a PR move (dealing with a \"problem of perception\"), I kind of think the new guys at NYRA, specifically Karches and Hayward (sp?), an owner and a bettor, actually may be serious about things. They are smart enough to watch the results, and if 6-8 hours ain\'t enough, extend it. Least I hope so.
As for disruptions-- yeah, yeah, yeah. Anybody been around long enough to remember when they started night racing? The trainers screamed blue murder about how the horses were used to being on a set schedule, were creatures of habit, etc. The screaming lasted about one week after the Meadowlands started at night, with not a peep since.
A stall is a stall. Horses sleep standing up, for crying out loud-- it\'s not like they get used to their beds. They get claimed and change barns all the time, and ship cross country and run well, and most of the time they ship in on race day they spend time at the receiving barn. This ain\'t a serious problem
You would have to work with race horses hands on to really appreciate this but here goes.Racehorse have sort of a sixth sense. Im not saying they are the smartest creatures but they are very tuned in to their surroundings. A \"Nervous\" type person can walk into a shedrow and walk up to a horse and the horse will try to kill them. The opposite effect \"horse whisperer\" type Monty Roberts can calmly communicate thru this sixth sense. Every trainer in the world will tell you that the key to a good horse performance is to keep them \"happy\". Happy involves good nutrition and Calm consistent surroundings.Sometimes goats are put in a stall or companion pony or rubber ball etc.Horses have very consistent routines and when their feed tub is taken away on race day, thats a break in routine and they know something is about to happen. Heres what is bound to happen with this detention barn deal especially with NERVOUS FILLIES. You are going to severly disrupt the routine. Horses do know their HOME STALL, why else do they go back to it when they are let out of a burning barn or when a horse gets loose on the track, they eventually go right back to their stall. So you take this Filly and place her in a stall that yesterday a strapping Stud Colt pissed all over the place. Dont tell me that these stalls will be completely mucked out and limed EVERY DAY. This Filly will sniff around and immediately her nervous system will be in overdrive.She knows she is not at home and ever horse in the shed row will have differing levels of 6th sense\"ANXIETY\" over this new surrounding and break in routine.24 hours worth of this could easily have a horse leave their race
\"in the stall\" My guess is you will see some really unexpected bad performances, especially with fillies. Im all for cleaning up the sport but these animals are a little more sensitive than most people give credit.Maybe lets just put the trainers and vets in a detention facility 24hrs prior
Just a thought
Pony, seems like the alternative is to let Steve keep \'em happy allday... raz
Ponypro,
You are obviously close to the game(knee deep, it sounds) and I can confirm much of what you say. I\'ve owned a few tempermental ones and I posted that I also think there will be some surprise poor performances because of the routine change.
Vets and trainers in detention is great but I prefer LIFETIME BANISHMENT for severe drug infractions with criminal prosecution. I\'ll bet the s--t that\'s going on now stops in a hurry.
I strongly disagree...horses, colts and fillies all the time are shipped from Belmont to the Big A and reverse when Belmont is opened.
They all take the same 20 minute drive down the Belt to the other track on race day...are stored there until race time, then shipped right back.
We are not talking the Motel 6 to the Hilton now. All shed rows suck, does Kieran give his little chocolate mints before they shut it down for the night?
When a horse ships in to Saratoga, they have that nice small shedrow set up just for out of state shippers...how nervous are they then?