In light of a recent thread on this board, I thought the following excerpt from a recent DRF article was interesting:
-------
The hottest stable in California in the last week has been that of trainer Mike Harrington, who won eight races from 10 starters from Wednesday through Sunday.
. . .
Harrington said a rash of second-time starters, a successful angle for the barn, and a new shoeing policy helped vault him into a tie for second in the trainer standings with Doug O\'Neill. Both have 13 wins, one fewer than leader Jeff Mullins.
Harrington declined to reveal the nature of the shoeing policy.
\"I\'d rather not divulge,\" he said. \"I changed the shoeing program, and I think they\'re getting a hold of the track better.\"
http://www.drf.com/news/article/75015.html
Maybe it is the shoes - although in this era of racing , seeing is believing and even then with a grain of salt ... Listing a horse\'s equipment would be a simple , basic way to help assure fairness and give a sense of propriety to the races . Reading inbetween the lines of the DRF arcticle really fills in the blanks . Pretty funny how they manage to get in the part about the trainer on how it\'s been almost as exciting as getting married - now I know someone\'s pulling my leg ...
Anyone who has ever owned horses will tell you that 98% of trainers are professional liars. Take what most of them say as what they want you to hear.
John