Horse Racing Moments

With the news last week about equine flu cases in Australia, I am sure that many horse racing enthusiasts felt pangs of anxiety.  Imagine those who have stakes on those horses and the upcoming races – how do they feel now?  Despite the ban that was meant to stop the spread of the flu before it became disastrous, the situation was not controlled enough.  This has resulted in the cancellation of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.

I am sure that those who have heard of the news are in dismay over the turn of things.  However, think about the state of New South Wales which has to deal with an estimated $ 204.5 million loss.  According to the Thoroughbred Times “Major races affected are the Epsom Handicap (Aus-G1), Metropolitan Handicap (G1), and George Main Stakes (Aus-G1) and other group races that are pointers to either the Melbourne Spring Carnival or toward the Sydney Autumn Carnival.

Royal Randwick Racecourse remains in stringent lockdown, but horses may exercise under strict protocols. Approximately 700 horses are stabled at the racecourse course and another 1,000 in adjacent private stables.

Racing New South Wales said Friday it hopes that racing can resume at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) day, November 6.”

At present, Australian horse owners and enthusiasts are finding ways to deal with the situation, including meetings wherein they can come up with solutions to support those who have been affected by this incident.

Meanwhile, in other parts of Australia, horse racing is being held intermittently.

A three-day ban has been implemented in major locations in Australia due to the outbreak of equine flu in Sydney.  Affected areas are New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.  The ban disallows the transport of horses in an effort to contain the highly contagious disease.

The equine flu is a respiratory illness that makes the horses tired.  It is rarely fatal but is highly contagious.  Humans are safe from the virus but can be carriers (through their clothing).  Though the case of equine flu is not that bad at the moment, Australian authorities are not taking any risks.  The breeding season for horses is coming up next month and too much is at stake.  Soon after the breeding season, horse racing activities are set to reach frenzied heights with the Spring Carnival, including the Melbourne Cup.

According to the Racing Board of Australia, if the flu spreads, the horse racing industry could be shut down for months.  This, of course, is something that they are not looking forward to and as such they are doing everything they possibly could to prevent any outbreak.  So far, the equine flu has been reported only in Japan, which Australian officials say may be the source of their own occurrences.  This is because Japanese stallions regularly come into the country during the breeding season.  Their horses also race during the Spring Carnival.

As of yet, there is no clear decision on what will happen in the next month or so.

If you have been active in the horse racing scene in the past few years, the name would definitely ring a bell.  Funny Cide was born in Saratoga and he won 11 of 38 career starts.  To date, he has earned $3,529,412.  In 2003, he won the Eclipse Award for the nation’s best 3-year-old.  This Friday, Sackatoga Stable, the group that owns Funny Cide announced that he has been retired.  Here is an excerpt from the announcement.

“I’ve retired the horse, and it was after a nice race he had out at Finger Lakes,” the trainer Barclay Tagg said yesterday. “Everybody was happy; everybody was thrilled. It was a good time to do this, on a winning note.”
Tagg added that Funny Cide was not injured and could have continued to race.
“He’s fine and he looks great,” he said. “It was just time to do this.”
Funny Cide will remain at Tagg’s stable at Belmont Park and will be converted to a stable pony, accompanying his former stablemates to the track each morning during training hours.

A little bit more history on Funny Cide – he won the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont in 2004.  Yet it seems that 2003 was his last great year as his career spiraled downward after that.  In any case, he had his own share of supporters.  In fact, many believe that the owners’ decision in retiring Funny Cide is the right one, as they believe that he has had his day in the sun.

Italy is well known around the world for its numerous attractions.  However, there are some less known places and activities that would catch the attention of some people.  One of the lesser known places in this wonderful country is Sienna.  Located in about an hour from Florence, this medieval town has a lot to offer.

Imagine staying in a little town with ancient brick alleyways and medieval fortresses all around you.  It is the epitome of peace and quiet.  Cars are even banned from majority of the city.  You can just walk around and enjoy the scenery and not be bothered by motorists and the pollution that motored vehicles bring.

Yet as quiet as Sienna is, it has some piece of action to offer as well.  Horse racing enthusiasts will find it a delight to watch bare back horse races at Il Palio.  One should not miss these bare back horse races which are held at the Piazza del Campo.  Neighborhoods are all involved in the races and the action starts even before the races begin.  Different groups go around in the middle of the night, making a ruckus and challenging their neighbors.  During the race day itself, each neighborhood has a contestant that they will back with all their might.

It is indeed quite a different experience from horse racing as we know in the U.S. and other parts of the world today.  Yet real lovers of horses and the sport of horse racing will definitely appreciate the culture and the excitement that this kind of horse racing will bring.

These days, old timers claim that the art of paddock inspection is fast on its way out. Yet they all say the same thing – paddock inspection is one useful tool when it comes to handicapping. If you want to get that edge that you have been looking for, then paddock inspection might just do the trick for you. Here are some tips on how to conduct one.

1. Make sure that you are at the entrance as the horses arrive. This might mean being their hours earlier than you normally would but remember you end goal. It would be worth it.

2. As the horses enter one by one, pay close attention to each of them. Inspect them as closely as you can from your vantage point. Check for signs of weakness, lameness, tiredness, the smell of liniment, and such. You may want to take a close look at the groom as well. You never know when they might give away certain information based on their expressions and behavior.

3. Don’t leave even when the horses have entered the paddock. You have to stay and watch them walk around. Again, watch for signs that may tell you negative about the horses. Some things to watch out for are excessive sweating, excessive nervousness, over excitability, foaming around the mouth, and whinnying too much. Of course, it goes without saying that if you do see a horse or two with these signs, you should go wager on another horse.

(to be continued)

Newcomers to the world of horse racing are usually exposed to big names such as the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup.  The thing is, these are the races that every horse dreams of – or at least their owners.  Before they can reach this stage, they have to undergo different levels of racing to get the experience and exposure that they need.

The maiden race is one of the first types of races that a horse has to run.  Any horse who has not won any prize yet is called a maiden.  Maiden races are also classified into different levels.

In a claiming race, horses come with a price tag.  Anybody can claim a horse for the price tag, given that the person wanting to claim the horse puts in his request before the race.  Regardless of what happens to the horse during the race, the person can claim the horse and the owner keeps the purse money (if any).

Next in line is the allowance race which simply means that there are certain conditions to be met in order to join the race.  For example, an allowance race could only be for non-winners of certain races except for the maiden, claiming, and stakes races.  Allowance races usually have large purses associated with them.

Last (for now) we have the stakes race.  This category is where the Breeders’ Cup fall under.  Of course, not all stakes races are as big as the Breeders’ Cup.  What makes a race a stakes race is that the purses are the highest.  Local races may have restrictions such as the horse has to be bred locally.  This kind of stakes race is called restricted stakes.

Betting on the favorite horse seems to be the logical way to go when it comes to horse racing. After all, the odds are already in the horse’s favor, right? So then, your chances of winning are quite high already. It really makes sense. However, though this argument makes total sense, there are other factors which you must consider. First and foremost would be the fact that countless other people would be thinking the same way as you do. The result of this would be less winnings. How so? Let us say that the favorite horse that you bet on does win. So you get a part of the money. However, the chances are that hundreds, or even thousands, of people also bet the same way as you did! Now you would have to split the earnings with each of them. There goes the huge amount of money you were hoping to get.

So how do you bet on favorite horses without having to spread all that cash around with other people? There are several factors that you must take into consideration. First of all, just because a horse is a favorite does not mean that you should automatically bet on it. Take note of all the favorites in various races and then narrow your choices even more. How do you do this? Come up with a set of qualifying factors. Eliminate certain risks that might just make the horse lose. As a result, you will have a few secure favorites on your hands. That makes for higher chances of winning. But don’t bet just yet!

Take other factors into consideration. One thing to look at would be the horse trainer and the jockey. Their past records would be a good indication of whether your favorite has good chances of winning or not. After taking a look at these two factors, also take into consideration the recent forms. That is, the past three or so races of the horses. Another factor to look into would be the track or course that would be run. See if the favorites are best suited for this track.

Now it is time to actually place your bets. Maximizing your wins would also mean increasing your bets somehow. It is simply not realistic to expect large amounts of winnings with a mere dollar. Bet not merely to win but to place. It might mean a little bit more investment on your part but if your selection process is sound, then your returns would be bigger than usual.

The age of a race horse is very critical in determining the physical capabilities of the horse. As such, the type of race they are running would depend on their age as well. Race horses typically have the same birthday in the year. That is, two horses born on the same year but different months are considered to be of the same age. In the Northern Hemisphere, the birth date of a race horse is considered to be the 1st of January. In the Southern Hemisphere, the birth date of a race horse is designated as the 1st of August.

Horses that are meant for racing do not see action until they are at least 2 years old. As a matter of fact, at this age, horses are still considered to be immature. That is, they have not reached their potential yet and their physical capabilities have a stretch to improve as of yet. Therefore, horses which are 2 years of age are only raced for short distances. More so, horses at this age are only raced against each other. That is, they are not entered into races with horses of other ages. Despite the fact that 2 year old horses are considered to be at less than their full potential, there are some big horse races for their age group. Some of them are The Golden Slipper, the Dewhurst Stakes, the Breeder’s Juvenile and the Blue Diamond Stakes.

At the age of three, horses are still not considered to have reached their potential but they are now allowed to compete with horses beyond their age group. In order top run at some of the most popular horse races, a horse has to be at least 3 years old. The Derby, The Oaks, The Guineas and the St Leger are some of these classic races.

Male horses that are 3 years old and below are called colts while females are called fillies. If a male has been desexed it is called a gelding. When a horse turns four, he cannot enter the age restricted races anymore. Males are then called horses while females are called mares.

A horse can retire from racing anytime, especially if it has become injured. This can occur when a horse is at any age. Due to the physical rigors of racing, a horse cannot stay in the action for far too long.