Gate Card?

[LSB]

Still on the learning curve here...

I've heard a couple of different answers to this question. Would one of you nice people mind telling me what a horse needs to do in order to qualify for a gate card?

Thanks!

[monicabee]

At the NYRA tracks, a young horse has to break twice from the gate to the satisfaction of the gate manager (as its his crew that is going to have to load this horse in a timely fashion). A horse can have its card revoked if there is an issue in loading for a race and have to go back for remedial training. Its best if they are loaded and break in company - sometimes with a timid horse the problem is the other horses, not the gate itself.

I believe a horse that has refused (this happened to a horse that was in a race with ours - he clipped heels in a race and fell - next time out he simply did not leave the gate - not just "dwelt" or paused, but outright refused) is banned from the track for six months, although I wouldn't swear that is the right duration. I guess from the track's point of view, the bettors have a right to assume a horse is actually going to race. Personally, I felt that the horse displayed a suprising degree of reasoning ability.

[Crystal]

It takes a amazing amount of confidence from a horse not to break.. Instead of using herd instinct and going with the crowd, to restrain it's self, and stay in a little box crowded by humans.. takes quite a spirit.

Naturally, it's not what we want in horse racing. We want a swift, clean breaker, but going against thousands of years of instincts, takes guts, maybe not brains, but guts. And yes, we've had one or two bad breakers.

One of ours kicked the starter in the package, and won by 13.. so sometimes it isnt a bad thing.

[Sky Beauty]

In order to get a gate card, the horse must load well into the gate and stand quietly, regardless of what is going on around him, until the starter springs the gate. When the gates open, the horse must break alertly, clean and straight, and generally breeze for at least 1/8 mile before pulling up. (You have to clear the gates, and breeze out onto the main track to get the card, so the distance that you actually have to go varies by track.)

To get a published work from the gates, you have to go 3/8ths, but you don't actually have to get a published work to get the card. You do have to have a published work from the gates to start for the first time, though.

[LSB]

Thanks so much for the information!