What’s a “Wonk”!!!
I have a really dumb question, maybe has been answered here and I did not look through all replies.
How doyou know which races are two turns? Do you have to know the race, what? I was so overwhelmed by what was attempted to be imparted that at some point I think I just blanked out, there was no more room for info.
TIA
AB
Hobie, it kicked you in the face and bit you there too? Good lord. You are brave.
Both you and Linny have been so helpful and patient and I appreciate it very much.
Knowing nothing is alot easier than trying to find out particulars; sometimes it all runs together.
'nuther question:
I have read and heard of ‘rabbits.’ Is once a rabbit always a rabbit, and how does that affect the horse. AB
Okay, here’s a dumb question from a non-racing TB lover. What is “black type”? I will not subject you to my speculations… Just curious.
thanks so much for answering all these totally obscure questions! I really wondered that every time I saw a race. I thought they started up on top of the helmet, then the jockey pulled off the ones on his/her eyes, pulled down a pair off the helmet, and i was like at the thought of doing all that while galloping! I feel better now
Much clearer… thanks for asking! LoL!! I thought the same thing!
Paddock-the term used for the saddling enclosure or area. “The horses are led to the paddock about 18 minutes before post time.”
Starter-the racing official in charge of the start of the race. The “Starter” has assistants who load the horses intot he gate and often get into the gate with them. The term “starter” is also used to describe a horse in a race as in “the third race went with 7 starters”
Steward- the stewards are the officials in charge of the integrity of the game. The stewards are the people to whom claims of foul are made. They can call for an inquiry into a portion of the race. Most tracks have 3 stewards, with at least one hired by the state to represent the interest of the betting public, though they all should be interested in the public!
Vets list- a list of horses maintained by the track vet, of horses who need special “dispensation” to enter a race. In NY for example, if a horse is eased or fails to finish a race, he goes on the list. Horses who are scratched in the post parade also go on the vet’s list. When Noble Causeway was a “gate scratch” at Saratoga this summer he went onto the vet’s list. The NYRA vet had to watch him work out (breeze) and “pass” him before he could enter a race.
GSV Genetic Strength Value
One breeding/handicapping system guru has developed this system for evaluating potential, which he sells.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>GSV: “A Must for Handicappers, Stallion Managers and Breeders”
G
S
V
GSV=Genetic Strength Value:
It predicts thoroughbred performance before the foal is born. The GSV is based on the Genetic, Racing Ability and Stud Performance (GRASP) of 57 of the 62 horses in its 5 generation pedigree. The missing 5 horses are its tail-female line. A catalog page gives buyers and sellers the tail-female line. The GSV measures the rest.
A GSV scores over 70 is worth a bet if there are no other horses in the race with a score above 68 as there is a good return on horses at high odds. It is also a great bet if solid handicapping shows that the horse is “live” in the race. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
GRASP=
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>“A Must for Commercial Breeders and Buyers and Those Who Breed to Race”
G =Genetic: Measures performances of males & females within five generations, pedigree construction, tail-female line strength, etc.
25%
R
A =Racing Ability: Measures individual racing brilliance, level, earnings, blacktype events, speed vs stamina, preferences, etc.
25%
S
P =Stud Performance: Measures success as a sire and broodmare sire, % of starters, %winners, %SW’s, % 2yo winners, etc. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Pedigree Query has a deal with the guy who does this and lists the Genetic Strength Value of the horses that it has in its database.
That “A” is for “Adjunct bleeder medication.” Something like amacar, ky red or the like. They list 3 specific ones in our condition book that are allowed… I think the third is clotol.
We always give an additional bleeder medication.
Jessi
Workout times can and do vary greatly from horse to horse and track to track. It also depends on what the trainer wants from the horse… if they want an easy half in :50 or a bullet half in :47. Without seeing the horse work there is really no way of knowing by looking at the time whether it was a good or bad time for that day and that horse. One place to start would be going to Equibase workouts and looking at all the works for that day at that track and see how the horse’s work compares to other horses works at the same distance.
In a VERY general sense… I will post a fast, medium and slow time for the following distances, but please note that these are very general and do no take into account track condition, weight of rider or exercise boy, trainers intended effort, urged with whip or just held together with a light hold, from gate or from pole, in company or alone.
distance fast med slow
3/8 :35 :38 :40
1/2 :47 :50 :52
5/8 1.00.0 1.02.0 1.05.0
3/4 1:12.0 1:14.0 1.17
We dont ever work horses further than that so I wont post times for any further distances.
Hope this helps somewhat.
Jessi
Originally posted by Linny:
Right now they are running on the Inner Track at Aqueduct. Its a mile around, and its inside the main track, where you might expect to find a turf course. Because of the configuration, without chutes, they only run races at 6 furlongs, one mile, 1 1/16 etc up to 1 1/4 miles which begins awkwardly on the turn. To bein a sprint at 7furlongs on a turn would be very unfair to most of the field. The racing secretary, who decides what races are to be held, has to take into account the layout of the track as well as the availablilty of horses to “fill” each race.
Its not really algebra, its English. H/J folks and racing folks are “two people divided by a common language.” Its the terminology thats got you!
For example a horseshow sends a “prize list” from which you select classes/divisions to enter. A track publishes a “condition book” which describes upcoming races and their conditions of eligiblity. Its this book that trainers use to select races for their stock.
Prize list = condition book. Now that I can relate to!
Fog still thick but sun streaming through in very thin lines.
Thanks verymuch.
AB
I apologize if this has been answered already, but…
Could someone explain what a paddock, starter, steward and vets list is? What are the differences? The similarities?
Thanks! 
http://www.drf.com/flash/drf_pp_tutorial.html
This is the DRF’s tutorial on reading the PP’s.
Each line of the PP’s reads across. Each represents a race.
From left to right the columns are:
Date
Race#/Track
distance
fractional times of race
cinditions of race
Beyer Speed Fig
post position
running position (w/beaten lengths)
Jockey
equipment
weight
track variant
company line (top 3 finishers)
comment
of runners/starters in race
If you send me the pdf, I can translate…send a PT for my email
Gosh! An explanation that even I can understand.
I’ve asked Erin to put this thread in the archives when people are through posting on it. That way, we’ll be able to point people to it when dosage questions arise again.
Now, anyone want to take a shot at those histories that hobie cat is so nice to put up all the time?
From: http://drf.com/help/help_speedrate.html
Speed Figures
Beyer Speed Figures
Beyer Speed Figures appear exclusively in Daily Racing Form. Every performance by every horse in North America is assigned a Beyer number which reflects the time of the race and the inherent speed of the track over which it was run, permitting easy comparisons of efforts at different distances. A horse who earns a 90 has run faster than one who runs an 80. In this system of numbers, 2 1/2 points are roughly equal to one length in sprints, and 2 points to one length in routes.
On the Beyer scale of numbers, the very best stakes horses in the country earn figures in the 120’s. Good allowance horses or low-grade stakes horses run around 100. A typical $25,000 claiming race would be run in the low 90s, a $10,000 claiming race in the low to mid 80s. The average winning figure for bottom-level $2,500 claimers at smaller tracks is 57.
Speed Rating and Track Variant
Daily Racing Form’s Speed Rating and Track Variant provide an “old style” gauge of a horse’s speed in a race.
The Speed Rating is a comparison of a horse’s final time with the best time at the distance at that track in the last three years. The best time is given a rating of 100. One point is deducted for each fifth of a second by which a horse fails to equal that time. Thus, in a race where the winner equals the best time (a Speed Rating of 100), another horse who is beaten 12 lengths gets a Speed Rating of 88 (100 minus 12).
As a companion to the Speed Rating, Daily Racing Form’s Track Variant takes into consideration all races run on a particular day under the same conditions of distance and track surface. The Speed Ratings of all winners in each type of race are added toget her and an average is computed. This average is deducted from the par of 100 and the difference is the Track Variant. (Example: if the average Speed Rating of winners sprinting on the main track is 86, the Track Variant is 14 (par of 100 minus 86). The lower the Track Variant, the faster the track, or the better the overall quality of competition that day.
http://www.aqha.com/racing/handicapping/articles/september02column.html
Once we’ve developed knowledge of a horse’s gate behavior, we can then note key equipment changes. Trainers will often add or remove flipping halters from fractious horses. (A flipping halter is designed to prevent a horse from rearing or flipping in the starting gate. A rope is attached to the front of the starting gate and is run through the flipping halter under the horse’s neck).
In many cases, horses that tend to get nervous in the gate will become calmer when a flipping halter is used. However, in certain cases fractious horses can become even more agitated with the addition of a flipping halter. In such instances, the trainer will then remove the halter.
Hope that helps… 
[wiping tears from eyes] Thank you.
It seems to me that the Europeans don’t use tongue wraps, but instead pull the bit away up higher in the mouth.
Am I correct in this or imagining it?
3U stands for 3 and up.
CLM=Claiming
If you see CLM and a number, that’s usually the claiming price.
MSW=Maiden Special Weight (a maiden race for horses not made available to claim) They are generally better quality races than MCL’s which is a maiden claiming race.
Thanks, SMS!
Aqueduct and Saratoga are 1 1/8 miles around. Aqu has a “chute” extending from the backstretch and mile races are run from the chute, around one turn. Churchill (and I think the new Gulfstream, not sure) also run 1 turn miles. At Saratoga, they don’t card mile races. Belmont runs up to 1 1/8 from the chute, as its 1 1/2 miles around.
Yep, there is ALOT of stuff in racing that you don’t think about at first. Then you get to wondering “how the fruitbat do they…”
