SAM HOU Sat. Night - 2/21

[Hosshead]

I was watching the 6th Race. Horses are loading into the gate.

As a horse is lead up to the gate, he rears, falls on his back, injuring the jockey.

Thinking that they would/should scratch this horse, I hear (on the video feed),----- " GET ANOTHER RIDER !" -- coming from the mic at the gate.

Then they back all horses out of the gate, and announce that there would be a delay as this horse is taken back to get another jockey.

Then after a delay, they announce that the horse has been scratched !

This horse should have been scratched IMMEDIATELY after falling!
There shouldn't have been ANY QUESTION ABOUT IT. Yet Sam Hou was ready and willing to take peoples money on this horse.
Even though he was finally scratched,----
This certainly makes me question the integrity of the racing at HOU. If they were initially going to let this horse run after a blatant accident, what other kind of problems that we don't know about, are they flying under the radar?

The other day I was watching the video feed of the walking ring at Santa Anita before a race.
A horse reared and flipped and fell (same thing), before the jockey could get on him. This horse was IMMEDIATELY scratched WITHIN SECONDS after the accident.

Whadaya Think ?

[ranchwest]

While you make a good point, do keep in mind that by leaving the horse in the race the trainer has to be confident that the horse is not going to exacerbate a physical problem.

I suspicion that this horse was probably scratched because they couldn't get another rider.

[Jeff P]

I remember an incident I saw from the rail at Turf Paradise while watching a post parade about three seasons back. The outrider's horse kicked the 8-5 favorite squarely in the side just as the horses began to trot off for their pre race warm ups. It happened right in front of me. I can still hear the hollow "thwomp" sound that it made. The jockey asked the outrider "Did your horse just kick me?" The outrider answered "Yes, I think he did." I was just about sure that they would scratch the horse. They didn't. After the gate opened the horse never ran a step.