Health of US racing spin-off: races not going

[SnicklefritzG]

I follow a couple of racing groups and it seems like if people are running in certain types of races, it isn’t uncommon for races to not go or for people to try 3-5 times before they find a slot somewhere.

Not every horse is going to be a stakes horse, so how do people deal with having a horse who needs to do an allowance race, claiming race, etc. if they have to wait weeks before something goes?

I’ve seen people try to enter a stakes race even if they don’t have a chance at hitting the board only because there are no other options.

I can’t imagine this is good for the industry if people have horses who aren’t able to run due to lack of spots. What are tracks doing about this if anything?

[LaurieB]

You wait. There’s nothing else you can do. There’s not much tracks (or more correctly the racing secretaries) can do either. Their job is to run races with fields that are as full as possible. So if a race doesn’t fill, or if a substitute race pulls more entries, you can be out of luck.

We are racing a gelding who through last fall was being entered 3-4 times for each race he finally ran in. When some races for a particular condition don’t go, then others over fill. Our preferred race for him was maiden special weight, on dirt at 1/16th mile. By November, we were entering him in msws, maiden claiming 50 and above, turf or dirt, no shorter than a mile. He’s in a different state now and we’ll be entered again tomorrow–but the race is a substitute race so it may not go. If it were up to us, he’d have run 5-6 times since summer. Instead he has had 3 races.

[LaurieB]

Sorry, can’t edit that typo. “He’ll be entered again tomorrow”

[QHJockee]

I echo what Laurie B said.

Sometimes, you enter just for the sake of running a race. I once had a first time starter in Louisiana that was pure turf and couldnt get him in a turf race anywhere to save my life. Entered him at KY Downs WAY over his head (he may have been worth $500 and I entered him for the option $50k tag, thinking its going to be one expensive trip for a last place finish). Haul to KY. 7 enter, 2 vet scratch morning of the race, 2 fall down in the race. We were so far behind we just gallop around them and pick up a 3rd place check for several thousand. He got claimed the next race back.

Most of the time it backfires, but this one time it sure worked in our favor.