Re:How professional are jockeys

CnC 306 wrote: Flat races should all have flag starts as it takes away from the draw biase and no horses will be injured, as many do in the starting stalls. Some have even lost their lives

Sjoe, forgotten his name, there was a Cape Guineas winner who returned to racing after a stud career I think as a 7yo. On that first re-start to racing he was injured in the pens and then euthenized. Ugh. Bushmanland was his name I think.


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......really why should one try reinvent the wheel.....and go back 60 years to flag or tape starts.....if the modern racehorse cannot be schooled to use pens it cannot race.....hence in the UK they have these bumper flats for would be hurdlers that cannot jump nor use stalls.....many of them reasonably bred induvials but enter these events as 5 to 7old maidens....:ohmy: .

......it is an absolute tragedy when one has a specimen with big potential that cannot get near a gate...:huh: .

....also remember that a several yards outsource schooling and pre-schooling....before horses are brought into their yards.....

That's absolutely no excuse.
Surely,as they didn't school the horse,the trainer would have a practice run at home to see if the outwork was done properly and not blindly go into a race just hoping the other person taught the horse right.

Mac wrote:

CnC 306 wrote: Flat races should all have flag starts as it takes away from the draw biase and no horses will be injured, as many do in the starting stalls. Some have even lost their lives

Sjoe, forgotten his name, there was a Cape Guineas winner who returned to racing after a stud career I think as a 7yo. On that first re-start to racing he was injured in the pens and then euthenized. Ugh. Bushmanland was his name I think.


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He was 13 when they brought him back

13! Ffs


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durbs wrote: ....also remember that a several yards outsource schooling and pre-schooling....before horses are brought into their yards.....

That's absolutely no excuse.
Surely,as they didn't school the horse,the trainer would have a practice run at home to see if the outwork was done properly and not blindly go into a race just hoping the other person taught the horse right.

.......the trainer has to get a starting stall certificate before a horse can be entered to run.....at these "gate" trials problematic horses have to be reschooled..... I still maintain that even horses that have been schooled correctly can also still give problems and are exacerbated by poor handing at the start.....many a trainer pull their hair out that horses are not loaded according to starting stall "grading systems".....an example would be...."cannot stand in stalls must be loaded later".....and guess what..... is then loaded 1st.....makes one think does it not....:whistle:

Regarding the topic, I genuinely believe that no jockey can make a horse go quicker than it's innate ability...but almost all jockeys can find ways to go slower...slow out the gate as jockey not alert at start, find a way to drift back to midfield or worse from number 1 draw around a bend, run into the back of another horse in a 5 horse field, look for gaps on the inside when there is the width of the course 300-400m from finish, etc

I'm sure the more seasoned Clanners have noticed the ways in which things happen...so, all the study and form analysis matters nought if the pilot makes tiny decisions that handicap the horse from giving off its best...yes, the better jockeys make better tiny decisions but even they are not immune from handicapping their mounts...

Off days not allowed? When some-one else's money is on the line and dependent on me being at my best, it is professional to not have off days...

Fitness is another story as that is in the hands of the trainer so I'll leave that for another day...

Muzi can make a horse get out of the gates... IMO

Pirhobeta wrote: Muzi can make a horse get out of the gates... IMO

And try to get fellow jockeys out of their saddles ??!!:whistle:

In my day with the Jockey Club trainers were required to bring their horses to stall training in the morning where they would be graded. These starting stall trials were attended by a stipe and starter or his assistant and horses were graded according to how they handled the stalls. The starter and handlers would then load the horses on race day according to these gradings. Granted this was a while back and maybe Craig can confirm if this is still the practice or if its changed.

Horses still have to be graded within 60days of their 1st run. Here in KZN we go in by draw. Odds and then evens. If a horse does really need it, he/she will be allowed to go in later.

TNaicker wrote:

Pirhobeta wrote: Muzi can make a horse get out of the gates... IMO

And try to get fellow jockeys out of their saddles ??!!:whistle:

I hear what you say...the good people don't always win...but they fare better in the long run...