pre-race riding instructions

[TJ]

In the beginning of this article, there is a very funny story about a trainer's pre-race riding instructions to Angel Cordero one day at Aqueduct. TJ
http://drf.com/news/paddock-talk-art-gi ... structions

[Shammy Davis]

That's really funny. Great story.

[Toccet02]

a reminder of how individual horses are. I rode a horse at KHP once, a rent-out horse, poor guy, and he didn't take me under any branches, but he did get awful close to fence posts, trying to brush me off from my knees. He would also nod his head up and down in a "YES M'AM!" kinda way when I gave him the slightest directional twitch of the rein, and go that way. But speed up, he would not. Not one bit. I was thoroughly intimidated and dared not kick him.

[Jorge]

I remember a well known local owner and excellent breeder who wanted to give instructions to a veteran jockey. He told his rider to rush the horse during the first third-part of the race "like this and that", then to advance decidedly during the other third-part "in this and this other mode" and finally to "come-from-behind" to surpass the leaders and win the race. The rider kept silence and eventually rode the horse using his own criteria. But he later critized the owner in disregard for the outrageous pretension of "insisting that the horse be run like a "stick shifting" sport car rather than as a biological creature".

[majxmom]

I remember that Whittingham comment well, and I've always thought it was the most sensible advice about instructions I've ever heard. As soon as the gates open, the situation is fluid. The good ones have the ability to think through a back-up plan, and the mediocre and bad ones will either do EXACTLY what you say in order to stay out of trouble, or ignore everything you said. Either way, it's a crapshoot when you are running claimers with low-percentage jockeys. I've stood next to trainers giving exact instructions for every pole like Sherman described, and it's so ridiculous I want to walk away. I think the best thing is to use a jock who has worked the horse in the morning and has some idea of what the horse can do.

[karenkarenn]

I agree with Majxmom

[Hold Your Peace]

As the article points out, knowing what OTHER horses in the race are going to do is a key for the GREAT jockeys. (See section of article about jocks like Chris Antley who would have a racing form spread out with all kinds of colored markings on it which were only decipherable to him)

You're watching your horse make a move from mid pack in a race, and you're screaming at the television screen wishing the jockey could hear you, "Don't follow the 40-1 shot". But sure enough your jockey takes the most obvious opening to them at the moment, ignoring the fact that they're coming up behind a 40-1 shot who is brave on the front end, and then WHAM. The 40-1 shot stops like a cheap watch and your horse checks and has now lost all chance.

Someone might defend your jock and say, "Well you can't really expect a jockey to know who every horse in a race is and what they're going to do."

But the GREAT jockeys DO know who every horse in a race is and what they're going to do. A GREAT jockey might know that the four horse almost always floats out on the first turn so from the five post your GREAT jock doesn't cruise into the first turn outside of the four horse but instead they make an early course correction to get inside of that four horse. Then, while more than half the field gets floated very wide on the first turn as that four horse does what he usually does, the GREAT jock cruises on along around the first turn saving ground compared to those floated out.

So yes things are fluid once the gates open, but the things that happen are not neccessarily unpredictable or unforseen.

It's always nice when you have a horse who is a man against boys in a race and you can make your only jock instruction "Don't fall off dummie".

Or the classic instructions from trainer 'Father' Bill Daly, "Go to the front. And then improve your position."

But "Go Sparky Go!" works in some cases too.

[tbrace]

Jockey's have lots in their agenda.

One thing is to win, others include staying safe, trading good or bad punches with competing jockeys, getting on and off your $10,000 claimer in the 5th so they can ride their stakes horse in sixth, and so on.

The best jockeys ride for the best trainers and do as they are instructed, if possible.

If not possible, they do what they think is best for them and sometimes the horse.

The owner, unless a powerful stable, comes in last on the list. Just the way it is.

You really can't blame them, although we all do from time to time.

[Sailor Kenshin]

That's really funny. Great story.

What bothers me is the track touts telling jocks what they 'should' have done. Unless they were riders themselves, how would they know?