I just read an analysis of a race and it talked about how badly a horse was “lugging out” at certain poles. Does that just mean going wide and bending to the outside, which would mean having to cover more distance? This horse ended up being eased.
[QUOTE=SaratogaTB;8534486]
I just read an analysis of a race and it talked about how badly a horse was “lugging out” at certain poles. Does that just mean going wide and bending to the outside, which would mean having to cover more distance? This horse ended up being eased.[/QUOTE]
Lugs out means that they are not only going wide but they look awkward doing it like they are trying to get off one of their legs. Sometimes also called “getting out” and it is often the sign of something physical going on with the horse.
Ok, thanks. That would explain the eased horse too.
“often the sign of something physical going on with the horse.”
I and others would not agree with this. Yes it can possibly mean something “physical” is going on but I would not use the word “often”.
More times than not IME is more of a bad habit, training issue. A horse that doesn’t like being in close quarters, or a number of things. A horse that just doesn’t like its job.
As with just a about all things horse, it is subjective. Meaning it is a subjective opinion of the person watching and writing the commentary on the chart of the race. I have read the commentary on some of my horses and or horses I am following and wonder if the person was watching the same race as I was.
In all fairness they have to watch a lot of horses in a race. But these days unlike years past. Chart writers have the benefit of instant replay to check the accuracy of their notes if they want to take the time.
Had a really nice horse not long ago who was running an easy second to a long shot, 60-1, with a worthless jock on him. The long shot was on the outside of my horse by about a half length running flat out. My horse had 2 lengths on the rest of the field running easy on a loose rein.
Coming into the final turn when the running starts the idiot on the long shot makes a left turn diving for the rail and slams into my horse almost putting over the rail. Jock almost came off and basically had to pull him up to get back into the saddle and the race. Even though he made up a LOT of ground to finish the race he should have just pulled him up a the time.
Jock got off limping because he leg was slammed/pinched into the rail. He got in the other jocks face as he should have. Really dangerous move.
The chart read;
“Champ vied for the lead from along the inside into the second turn, was in tight, took a bad step then flattened out”.
WTF, didn’t the guy see what happened? He didn’t take a “bad step” he was almost put over the rail.
If the jock had decided not to finish the race the chart might have said “eased” or pulled up. Depends on the writer sometimes.
:encouragement: What an informative, insightful post (and, of course, wonderfully written)!! Thanks, G.T.!
Some my recall that FOOLISH PLEASURE began lugging out at the beginning of his derby season in 1975 and immediately after his third place finish in the FL Derby it was found that the frogs on both front feet had peeled completely back. After a recovery period he won the Kentucky Derby. Sadly he is best remembered for the tragic match race with RUFFIAN.
I guess the point is that when a horse lugs out check everything. I got the impression someone in Leroy Jolley ’ s barn wasn’t paying attention at his earlier stretch run in the Flamingo when he won but lugged out severely. Frogs don’t normally sluff off overnight unless there is serious injury or disease.
I can be anything from teeth to soundness to equipment to behavior.
[QUOTE=Palm Beach;8539310]
I can be anything from teeth to soundness to equipment to behavior.[/QUOTE]
Exactly
[QUOTE=Shammy Davis;8539277]
Some my recall that FOOLISH PLEASURE began lugging out at the beginning of his derby season in 1975 and immediately after his third place finish in the FL Derby it was found that the frogs on both front feet had peeled completely back. After a recovery period he won the Kentucky Derby. Sadly he is best remembered for the tragic match race with RUFFIAN.
I guess the point is that when a horse lugs out check everything. I got the impression someone in Leroy Jolley ’ s barn wasn’t paying attention at his earlier stretch run in the Flamingo when he won but lugged out severely. Frogs don’t normally sluff off overnight unless there is serious injury or disease.[/QUOTE]
I spent some ‘social time’ with Leroy in the 80s. Nice enough guy in a social setting not exactly gregarious. Around his barn from time to time also. He would make me look like the nicest guy in the world to work for. And I am not. I would NOT of liked to have been that “someone”.
In the end it is the trainer’s responsibility to check all of their horses daily. But it does, should start with the groom than the assistant and then the trainer making sure everybody is doing their job and or knows their job.
I have had to point out and or reprimand grooms for not paying attention to detail. “The reason for picking a horse’s feet out is not only to clean them but to check for things that maybe on the come, cuts, sensitivity loose shoe that may come off while training taking some of the horse hoof with it”
Most things start small but can become very large quickly if not nipped in the bud. If caught early the horse may only need a couple of down days. Caught late may require a long and expensive layup/downtime.
LeRoy was lucky that it wasn’t worse with FP. The buck stops with the trainer. Luck has a lot to do in dealing with horses but still no excuse. I am always reminded that the horse is the one animal that continuously seeks innovative ways to injure or kill themselves without assistance from any other species.
I thought this thread was a good idea on the part of the OP. To hear the handicappers talk, all that is needed is blinkers. LOL.
As everyone as said, just means trying to bear out. It can be physical or it can just be laziness, as the inside rail is where speed work happens in the morning. If the horse is tired or not wanting to exert itself, it naturally will want to get away from the action.
My OTTB liked to and I’ve galloped him and experienced it first hand. He’s always been sound as a rock, but he despises swapping leads and would rather fight and bear to the outside instead of switching.
Agree that the buck stops with the trainer. One HOF trainer I worked for said that once he got more than 25 horses, each additional horse was a headache because it was simply very difficult to keep up with them all. At that point, he had to really trust his foreman to keep on top of things.
