Quality Road Banged Up

[da hossman]

By the way, I believe QR was started by Martin Black in a round pen before progressing to paddock and field. More people in racing using the Dorrance, Hunt, Brannaman techniques every year (Calumet, WinStar, Margaux, etc).

[ireneinwa]

By the way, I believe QR was started by Martin Black in a round pen before progressing to paddock and field. More people in racing using the Dorrance, Hunt, Brannaman techniques every year (Calumet, WinStar, Margaux, etc).

I know alot of horsemen, several traing centers in CA. Never known of any horses not being started in round pen.

[karenkarenn]

They pretty much start in the round pen. Its a little eaiser to control.

[da hossman]

Back East the round pen is revolutionary - well it was 5 or 10 years ago. Tradition was to start a horse by "bellying up" in a stall with someone else holding the horse and leading it in circles around the stall. Most still do it that way.

[going4stamina]

I really don't think QR had a device, and gave several other options, but...

I can say that devices are part of the game from mid level tracks on down, at least. Sure the best trainers of the best stock at the best tracks might not use them. The claiming game at the claiming tracks is less likely to show mercy and compassion to our athletes and show more concern for the bet, the paycheck or potential claim than gate safety. I have seen some strange and crazy horse happenings here in the Southwest (Texas, LA, Arkansas) over the past years and more than a few times I have thought "device".

And, it isn't so unlikely...
A device was found carried by a jock in the Arkansas Derby a few years back (unknown to trainer and owner) AND a regular jockey was found within the last few years to have a device in morning training at Lone Star Park. We really don't always know what every member of every horse's team is contibuting to their bad acting.

As I said, it might be he's experienced something painful in the gate, a rough morning galloper that creates issues, or just a bad and stressful day that day.

[going4stamina]

I forgot to add Remington in OKC to that regional list. Lord did I ever see some bizarre stuff there when it was in it's down years.

[zinn21]

Thoroughbred Times reports he has schooled very well all week. Did a near race day simulation and he was perfect. I am wondering now if Pletcher just had him on over tilt for Classic day and he lost it when they blindfolded him..

[majxmom]

Back East the round pen is revolutionary - well it was 5 or 10 years ago. Tradition was to start a horse by "bellying up" in a stall with someone else holding the horse and leading it in circles around the stall. Most still do it that way.

I think most people who "start" in a round pen have indeed first gotten on the horse in the stall and turned it around a few times. It's the safest place to keep a colt confined for a first effort.

[Shammy Davis]

So far, it looks good for the Cigar Mile.

http://www.vtablog.org/

[bdw0617]

skipping the cigar mile, pointing towards the donn

[Shammy Davis]

The decisions about QR are moving too fast for me.

[karenkarenn]

http://www.vtablog.org/2009/11/quality- ... -mile.html

Well there is a decision

[Shammy Davis]

Karenkarenn posted:

Well there is a decision

Not only are the decisions going to fast for me, but apparently from the results of my last post I've found that I can't read. It's a miracle that I can comprehend anything.

[Patuxet]

The owners of the farm where I board my horses once trained and raced in the Northeast. Yesterday I visited their farm in Ocala and the conversation turned to Quality Road's problems with the starting gate in the BC Classic. These folks suspect that it may have had something to do with the starting gate itself.

Some years ago they owned a large stakes horse which was cut and banged up badly enough in a gate incident that he required considerable veterinary care and missed some subsequent stakes. Apparently this was such unusual behavior for this particular horse that the owners began looking for possible reasons.

They started measuring the stalls in starting gates and were surprised to discover that the stalls in some Clay Puett starting gates were not only shorter and narrower than others but that they also had a different and sharper lower edge. They began to notice that some larger horses found these smaller gates distasteful and had problems loading. Yesterday they noted that Zenyatta, herself a large horse, was also reluctant to load for the BC Classic.

A Wikipedia entry on starting gates states: "Many of Puett's actual gates are still in use today at tracks around the world, and all gates are based on his original design."

[zinn21]

Walked in to the gate today like a perfect gentleman. Won the Hal's Hope easily today..

I wrote after the Breeders Cup:

I don't know the gate history on Quality Road. I did see him in his prior race and don't recall he put up much of a fight at the gate that day. He might have had one of those days where all things line up negative and the gate crew guessed wrong.

They interviewed Johnny Velasquez today on HRTV and asked him what happened in the BC... He stated QR is a big boy who does not liked to be pushed around and that is what they did on BC day. I bring all this up only because a number of folks blamed TP's bad horsemanship for the mishap and in reality the gate crew guessed wrong and tried to push him around and he fought back.

The SoCal gate crew is very good but they used wrong loading tactics on BC day with this guy.