I haven’t ever heard about needing to use a closed white blinker on a sightless eye. Have had a few one-eyed ones ourselves and never followed those orders - Range Rider, This One for Sally, Bemo. I am sure there were others I can’t think of at the moment.
I think the decision whether to close up a blinker cup or not is made based upon how well the eyelids work. Some horse have their bad eye removed and the lids sewn together so they wouldn’t need a blinker at all on that side. Some horses can’t blink real well so you would want to close that up so the dirt doesn’t get stuck too badly.
Was it Begum of out Alydar’s first crop who was born with no eyes at all? She went on to be a very successful broodmare, but she never raced of course. I remember reading about the adaptations they made to her private paddock - they mowed the area by the fence differently so that she would be able to feel it and know to slow down. I think she even had her foals with her for a time and had bells on them so she could find them.
I could swear it was Alligator Belle and Alligator Belly who both had one eye. Didn’t bother them much. A blinker is a blinker if the eye socket needs protecting thenby all means put it on.
Real Connection was a WONDERFUL racemare who only had one eye.
Pollard’s Vision (who I had never heard of until now) would have been named for his one eye. In the Seabiscuit book Red Pollard, Seabiscuit’s jockey, lost the Santa Anita race because he did not see his opponent coming up because of his blind eye which he lost in a boxing fight.
So, I guess if they are okay to race one eyed, they should be okay to hilltop one-eyed… 
Well, sure! Or go first flight, or whip in. Consumer warning though, based on my experience. 1) the first half-season or so, horse oh so rateable merely by picking up one rein and tilting his head so he is leading with the blind eye. This works until oh so trusting horse decides aw, rider’s gonna take care of me, no need to slow down just 'cause I can’t see where I’m going! 2) When galloping on a sweeping-turn trail in the woods, turning toward the blind side, and horse hears the rattling of the panel up ahead, be very vigilant. Horse might just think it’s a good idea to eliminate the sweeping turn and take a harder turn straight to the fence! This can, of course, be hard on rider’s knees and/or other body parts depending on density of woods.
Sorry for the digression from racing- wait, I can fix it, the horse in question broke his maiden at Finger Lakes.
lol
Cassaleria. I think he did run with a closed cup. He was so claustrophobic that Churchill had to build him a pipe stall to house him for the Derby.
[QUOTE=jengersnap;4214167]
No double blind horses can race.
And like Jessie said, the mares in foal have to be declared in the office. Stud fees have to be paid I think which is contray to many terms where the fee is due when a live foal is born or nurses. We raced two in foal to about their 8th month.[/QUOTE]
The service certificate must be in the office only for claiming races. I have ridden pregnant mares, a one eyed gelding who won two in a row in the mud in the middle of the track :eek: , and a lactating mare who bucked me off in the paddock. The pregnant one won an easy (for her) allowance race. She was bred to see if she would eat. It worked well. She retired at about 2 or 3 months along and was not given lasix.
one eye okay!
I had a horse last year who was a 3 y.o. Western Expression named “Western”. Western had a blind, shrivelled left eye (fresicle???) and was (initially) a nut job on the track to train. She had been broke and started with a pony and her early days without one were hell for the poor jock who got on her in the mornings.
She was a sweetheart who responded to my voice and I always let her know when I was approaching her and talked to her as I was doing whatever with her. At first our relationship was dicey, but she grew to trust me and we had a great relationship until she was claimed. Don’t know where she is now but I hope she’s being loved and appreciated!
There are numerous horses running at Finger Lakes with one eye (Un Ochio comes to mind).
I’ve always felt that the good eye should be protected with a bubble, not the missing/blind eye. Doesn’t that make more sense?
I think that Pollard’s Vision was a pet project of Angel Cordero when he (the horse) was in Pletcher’s barn.
