Standardbred racing or I need a life :)

[sk_pacer]

[QUOTE=Matador;8543501]
My questions today are these:

1. Has a horse ever come back from breaking stride to win?

2. In today’s second at Yonkers, the place horse was named ‘Tapit.’ IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED? :eek:[/QUOTE]

Yes, horses often come back from a break to at least place in the money…saw one years ago where the horse came back after a break, circled the field from along ways back and made it to second so if the horse is good enough and didn’t bust something running or something busted to cause the break, it is possible. It does, in fact, happen fairly often on smaller tracks that are not maintained as well as Big M, and WEG

[QUOTE=RxCate;8543721]Different breed registry, so I guess anything goes - I thought at first you were talking about an innuendo within the name, LOL - gotta get my head out of the gutter.

Most memorable STB name I know is Cadillakakakak which I now know is a Billy Joel song, but hearing it over the loudspeaker a million times during a race, is… weird.[/QUOTE]

There are no name restrictions in most registries as far as I know to taking a name from another registry. I forget who I was looking up in all breed but there were 3 TBs and 1 Standardbred with the same name

Tried to buy a horse called Norfolk And Way several years ago - if you are wondering, say the name a few times very quickly. Both breeds had a Hoofhearted although ours was spelt Hoof Hearted. I also was around in the era of Fog Ducker and Fog Ducking…no need to say what at least two announcers said; a dear friend is still mortified 30 years after his slip of the tongue.

@Matador;8543519

Butbutbutbutbut…Tapit? Famed TB sire? SB owners are allowed to do this?

I wasn’t even aware of a TB called Tapit. The only thing restricted from use are farm names, regardless of breed, and within our own, horses currently racing and famous horses…

@LML;8544345

Or Cam Fella, Somebeachsomewhere, Mack Lobell, etc…

Yup. all can be used by another breed save Mack Lobell as he is the product of a still existing farm - Lana Lobell, although all that remains is the NJ division.

[LML]

Both of my racing Standardbreds have thoroughbred counter parts. If you think about it, I guess there aren’t enough names out there without some over lap. But I do think that an outstanding horse should not have a different breed with the same name.

If anyone is interested, here is the standardbred Canada rules for naming your foal.
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/content/challenges-naming-foal.html

[Where_sMyWhite]

As best as I can tell, no horses were injured but…

Just caught on TVG an update from the Meadowlands regarding a delay in the first race on tonight’s card.

Sounds like before the first race, a bunch of rain fell and the track got very sloppy/muddy. They called off the start of the first race as the gate vehicle kept getting bogged down in the mud :lol:

Glad that no horses or people were injured. Track surface clean up is in process (screening the track surface is what I think they said) but just got the giggles that the gate vehicle was what was having problems in the mud

[beaujolais]

I’m sure they want to avoid a starting gate sliding in the mud, like the one at Freehold a few years ago. I’d be phobic of that too, for sure. :eek:

I remember racing in the mud and how it would take near a week to get all the bits of mud out of the horse and tack. (Yes, they did have a good bath after the race and all.) Those were some of the best years of my life.

[Where_sMyWhite]

It sounded like the start gate had already started rolling for the race and they called it off.

I can imagine it must be quite scary to see that heavy vehicle sliding around in the slop.

I’d be thinking just drive your horse still harnessed through the local car wash

[beaujolais]

“It sounded like the start gate had already started rolling for the race and they called it off.”

Oh dear, well, a wise move.

“I’d be thinking just drive your horse still harnessed through the local car wash.”

Yes, . . . , and run them through about 3 times. :winkgrin:

Is is the same with tbs after they race in the mud? Meaning that you keep finding little remnants/grains of slop in their mane, tail, etc., for a few days after a race? You all have lots less equipment, at least.

[sk_pacer]

first two are charted and up on USTA site - https://racing.ustrotting.com/chart.aspx
I thought they had a better surface there, watched many races with slop spraying around from both gate wheels and bike wheels.

I have seen a starting gate get sucked through the outside fence because of slop - track crew tried to get the slop through the fence and didn’t quite have enough speed on the grader so there was a build-up. Build-up sucked the gate right through the fence and the top rail of the fence went right through the windshield, back window and into the starter’s box. I had intended to catch a ride to the grandstand but was too late because I was washing horse, harness and all, and that 2X8 went right through the window where the passenger would have been sitting. And, yes, starting gates are pretty scary in the mud - if it starts to slide, best thing to do is pull off the gate and turn around although that isn’t done anymore.

One thing you learn racing around here is to tie the tail - a tail can easily gather 40 pounds of mud or more. After you sluice off enough to work buckles, we strip the horse, and undo the mud knot then give a proper bath and there is very little mud inside the knot. Worst thing about mud when I started is we still used leather harness and that made for a long night if you had a few in. Sometimes sat till 2AM with the 900th pail of hot water and the 300th jar of Murphy’s; whole harness had to be taken apart to get that mud out. Synthetic harness is much better - just hang it in the wash stall and have at it with the hose and the only thing that comes off is the back pad and, if one was silly enough to race in them, the fuzzies on the Buxton.

[Where_sMyWhite]

In general :eek:

I just heard the comments on the gate which prompted my posting.

I can’t imagine how scary if that gate vehicle starts having handling problems - it is big and heavy and awkward…