Racehorse Injuries

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:42 pm

griff wrote:The "eased" part of "pulled-up/eased in mid race" could be a flipped palate.

griff

It could be. Or it could be an injury. Omniscience I leave to God.

griff · Postby **griff** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:18 pm

yep, could be an injury but I would not automaticly put then in your study as injured just because they slowed or "eased" down. Many TBs flip and it is sometimes hard to duplicate even with a hard breeze.

We think our last one flipped at the 3/8 pole in a race after working 5/8 the week before in 1:01.

griff

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:35 pm

griff wrote:yep, could be an injury but I would not automaticly put then in your study as injured just because they slowed or "eased" down. Many TBs flip and it is sometimes hard to duplicate even with a hard breeze.

We think our last one flipped at the 3/8 pole in a race after working 5/8 the week before in 1:01.

griff

I'm not listing "injuries". I'm calling the column "incidents".

If a horse broke down, I'm listing that, and where it happened.

Ask yourself what things look like to a casual fan--or someone seeing racing for the first time. During the 50 years I have followed this game, the UNENDING LAMENT has been that racing is doing NOTHING to attract new fans. It was true in 1963. It's true now.

We need to understand the problems, including lousy or poorly maintained tracks, before we can start explaining things to potential fans.

"That's just racing" will not fly with a first timer seeing a horse being vanned off--if the horse flipped, how difficult would it be to ANNOUNCE that and make clear that the horse is fine and isn't being dragged off to die?

docjocoy · Postby **docjocoy** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 5:53 am

Article about inner track breakdowns at Aqueduct

http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2012 ... =fullstory

docjocoy · Postby **docjocoy** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:00 am

In this morning's Thoroughbred Daily News there is also a much more detailed article about the breakdowns at Aqueduct, by Bill Finley, but it is subscriber restricted. I can cut, paste, and send, if anyone is interested. Not sure I can do that by pm, may have to email, but I can experiment.

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 9:19 am

docjocoy wrote:In this morning's Thoroughbred Daily News there is also a much more detailed article about the breakdowns at Aqueduct, by Bill Finley, but it is subscriber restricted. I can cut, paste, and send, if anyone is interested. Not sure I can do that by pm, may have to email, but I can experiment.

Article appears on page 11:

http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/restricted/pdf/tdn/tdn120322_1.pdf?CFID=62961731&CFTOKEN=46713876

griff · Postby **griff** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:25 pm

"Why Can't They Announce The Horse Just Flipped"

One, nobody knows for sure if a horse has flipped or if there is something else. Hell the vet's can not find half the flippers with a scope right after they flip and many don't roar

Second, Flippers are not vaned or dragged off. They just look like they were in a race far over their heads.

PA and WV seem be doing just fine, but that slots money is looking very good to people that had rather use it to educate their children. And, if horse racing can not make it in these new times so be it.

My grand father's brother once owned a share in Dan Patch, before they figured out how to get him to stop breaking in the stretch, so we have been in the game a long time. My three boys seem to relatively sane but I fear my favorit daughter has the bug and will follow me down this path. Poor thing.

griff

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:30 pm

griff wrote:"Why Can't They Announce The Horse Just Flipped"

One, nobody knows for sure if a horse has flipped or if there is something else. Hell the vet's can not find half the flippers with a scope right after they flip and many don't roar

Second, Flippers are not vaned or dragged off. They just look like they were in a race far over their heads.

PA and WV seem be doing just fine, but that slots money is looking very good to people that had rather use it to educate their children. And, if horse racing can not make it in these new times so be it.

My grand father's brother once owned a share in Dan Patch, before they figured out how to get him to stop breaking in the stretch, so we have been in the game a long time. My three boys seem to relatively sane but I fear my favorit daughter has the bug and will follow me down this path. Poor thing.

griff

Then publish the information when it is available. Look for solutions.

The public perception of racing is Eight Belles and Barbaro. Lots of people, ill informed and ignorant, have told me that Barbaro was raced out of GREED, that his breakdown was inevitable, blah, blah, blah. This kind of thing has to be countered, or racing will eventually be PETAed out of existence.

griff · Postby **griff** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 2:34 pm

to paraphrase the great Bill Clinton; that depends on what the definition of GREED is.

To some anyone that tries to make money is greedy. And while my wife will disagree with this, most race horse owners race to make money.

You can "inform" the tree huggers until the cows come home and you will not change their minds.

Tell them that it shows pure class to show up at a Charles Town craps table in a Tux and they will do it. I've seen it.

griff

Sailor Kenshin · Postby **Sailor Kenshin** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:43 pm

One of my phone apps is a horse racing round-up. An AP article appears about the high percentage of injuries/fatalities at Santa Anita, so it should be available somewhere.

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:54 pm

griff wrote:to paraphrase the great Bill Clinton; that depends on what the definition of GREED is.

To some anyone that tries to make money is greedy. And while my wife will disagree with this, most race horse owners race to make money.

You can "inform" the tree huggers until the cows come home and you will not change their minds.

Tell them that it shows pure class to show up at a Charles Town craps table in a Tux and they will do it. I've seen it.

griff

Well, Griff, we know you will do nothing. Everything is rotten, nothing is worth doing. You keep reminding us.

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 3:45 pm

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-horse-deaths-20120324,0,1650065,print.story

"Santa Anita Leads California Tracks in Horse Racing Deaths"

Not the kind of headline the sport needs.

Sysonby · Postby **Sysonby** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:29 pm

Bast wrote:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-horse-deaths-20120324,0,1650065,print.story

"Santa Anita Leads California Tracks in Horse Racing Deaths"

Not the kind of headline the sport needs.

Consider the source. The LA Times hates racing and has the 25 or so years I've lived here.

There's nothing new about that angle.

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:34 pm

Sysonby wrote:
Bast wrote:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-horse-deaths-20120324,0,1650065,print.story

"Santa Anita Leads California Tracks in Horse Racing Deaths"

Not the kind of headline the sport needs.

Consider the source. The LA Times hates racing and has the 25 or so years I've lived here.

There's nothing new about that angle.

This is the general viewpoint of the public, what I hear from people who know nothing about racing.

Bast · Postby **Bast** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:10 pm

This is the kind of writing that shapes the public's impression of racing:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/us/death-and-disarray-at-americas-racetracks.html?_r=3&hp

Read the comments, too.