re: contest scratches

[superfreakicus]

I see that there are a few couplings on the card, so I think that makes scratches more of an issue.

I suggest that alternate picks, or whatever are fine.
as long as everything\'s clear, and stated beforehand, anything goes.
any discrepancies to be judged by the rules committee (HP+DP) --- in the case of jury deadlock, tiebreaker goes to jerry for putting up the prize.

[HP]

I don\'t know why that makes scratches more of an issue. You play one horse in an entry, you get both. If you really liked one horse in the entry, and not the other, you should say, \"if Horsey X scratches, I want the money to go on Horsey Y, rather than the other part of the entry.\" Exactly what you should be doing whether horses are in an entry or not.

I really think the burden is on the entrant to be clear. Be precise. Most posters realize they will get chopped up trying to get over with this kind of thing here anyway. We\'ll wait for the results to see if any arguments are necessary, and at that point, I would say JB can decide since it\'s his prize and he\'s not a participant.

Otherwise, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea that scratched money just goes back as cash, rather than shifting it around to favorites or \'pro-rating\' it into other bets. This way, you get credit for what you picked, and NOTHING ELSE, and everybody has to face the same risk re: getting wiped out in a race by scratch(es). One good reason not to worry about this too much is we\'ll have plenty of time to score these things any way you want afterwards, and I\'m hoping someone comes out far enough ahead to wipe out the penny-ante nonsense.

As a heads up, in the 7th, I would be surprised (but happy) if Voodoo Dancer goes. HP