Trainers Views On Blinkers

[nijinski]

So my browser is not cooperating , Great insights on blinks from DRF 7/4/13
and Pletchers decisions with Palice Malice :
Here's a preview :

“Blinkers are for when you think they can do more, and when you think they can do more, you look to make changes,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “Most of the time, it’s basically when you’ve hurt your feelings over, ‘I thought you were better than that!’ ”

Asmussen’s father and mother trained Quarter Horses, which is where Baffert’s training career began. Baffert estimates he raced 90 percent of his Quarter Horse starters in blinkers.

“You want Quarter Horses to be so focused,” he said. “The break is so important: No break, you have no chance at all. You want them looking straight down that racetrack. It’s a controlled runaway.”

Asmussen wanted to distance himself from a Quarter Horse background and prove he was a Thoroughbred trainer. That sometimes kept him from trying blinkers. “I’m not as hard-headed about it as I used to be,” he said. Still, Asmussen continues to harbor a thought – one long associated with blinker use – that tells him a genuine racehorse who fully understands racing doesn’t need to be coaxed into anything by means of the hood.

“I had no temptation to ever put blinkers on Rachel Alexandra or Curlin,” he said. “I think true competitors want to see what’s coming.”

Asmussen’s sense of blinkers as a crutch comes straight out of the European school. Blinkers used to be called The Rogue’s Badge overseas. The application of the hood stood about one step above gelding a horse, an admission the animal could not fulfill his potential through his own force of will.

[PoloUK6108]

Good info, thanks for sharing. Their theories all seem to make sense.

[nijinski]

Good info, thanks for sharing. Their theories all seem to make sense.

:)

If you read the full story at the link 7/4 Pletcher and Smith discuss Palice Malice .
Back when my folks were alive and well and gambling they were definitely viewed as the Rogues Badge .

[OCF]

“I had no temptation to ever put blinkers on Rachel Alexandra or Curlin,” he said. “I think true competitors want to see what’s coming.

Great quote because it seems to say so much about what separates the elite from rest. On the other hand, in regards to the other 99.99%, its interesting that Asmussen, Baffert and Pletcher all have some background in Southwestern quarterhorse racing.

[nijinski]

Great quote because it seems to say so much about what separates the elite from rest. On the other hand, in regards to the other 99.99%, its interesting that Asmussen, Baffert and Pletcher all have some background in Southwestern quarterhorse racing.

Elite in their perception perhaps .

Actually Secretariat dispels all thoughts on the matter .

[OCF]

Elite in their perception perhaps .

Actually Secretariat dispels all thoughts on the matter .

I wouldn't presume to know curlin and ra's perception.

As for Secretariat, small sample size? ;)

[kinznk]

I think the horses look cooler with the hood. Take the blinker part off and just wear the mask. They look like lucha libres.

[thespaah]

In any profession or sport I am for using anything at my disposal to gain an advantage or improve performance. That is as long as it's legal, ethical and within the boundaries and spirit of the rules.
So if the horse needs a little something like a piece of equipment to help his or her performance, so be it.
Blinkers on!

[Grits]

Nj, here's the link to the Hersh piece on Blinkers--since your browsers not cooperating.

He did a fine job. It was probably informative to many people that don't handicap, or follow the sport as closely as members here.

http://www.drf.com/news/blinkers-closer-look-their-impact-racehorses

[nijinski]

Nj, here's the link to the Hersh piece on Blinkers--since your browsers not cooperating.

He did a fine job. It was probably informative to many people that don't handicap, or follow the sport as closely as members here.

http://www.drf.com/news/blinkers-closer-look-their-impact-racehorses

Thank You Grits , I thought the piece was well done too and I liked
the learning process Pletcher's team dealt with regarding Palice Malice .
:) .

[chadk66]

blinkers are simply a tool in the trainers arsenal. they come in many different forms. some horses acquire very quirky habits that blinkers can fix. There are just so many reasons for blinkers that I couldn't put it all in this page. But no trainers really wants to put equipment on that a horse doesn't need. its the old "keep it simple stupid" theory.

[cordep17]

blinkers are simply a tool in the trainers arsenal. they come in many different forms. some horses acquire very quirky habits that blinkers can fix. There are just so many reasons for blinkers that I couldn't put it all in this page. But no trainers really wants to put equipment on that a horse doesn't need. its the old "keep it simple stupid" theory.

Just out of curiosity, is there any reason not to use a shadow roll?

I understand how blinkers can both benefit and hurt a horse, but in regards to the shadow roll, it seems like only a plus.

[Stillriledup]

I hate blinkers and i even hate horses who wear both blinkers and a shadow roll at the same time.

Another thing i can't stand is when i really like a horse on tape, the horse gets a blinker change from the rider who suggested to the trainer that the horse needs "more focus" but in reality, the horse needs a new rider. When i see a horse i've been waiting for show up with blinkers when i don't have "add blinkers" in my notes, it puts me in a tough spot because i dont want to 'experiment', in my mind the blinkers (whether they were on or off) was not the problem. You will see this quite often where a jock makes an equipment change, the trainer listens and then the following races, its blinkers back off again.

[lamboguy]

I hate blinkers and i even hate horses who wear both blinkers and a shadow roll at the same time.

Another thing i can't stand is when i really like a horse on tape, the horse gets a blinker change from the rider who suggested to the trainer that the horse needs "more focus" but in reality, the horse needs a new rider. When i see a horse i've been waiting for show up with blinkers when i don't have "add blinkers" in my notes, it puts me in a tough spot because i dont want to 'experiment', in my mind the blinkers (whether they were on or off) was not the problem. You will see this quite often where a jock makes an equipment change, the trainer listens and then the following races, its blinkers back off again.i think that most training center's train the horses at some point with blinkers just to get acclimated to them in case a trainer decides the horse needs them. that's what we do anyway.
i am also finding out that often times when you take the blinkers off the horse they can give you a better effort. the thing that i hate the most is when a trainer decides there are multiple problems and he makes more than one change after a bad race and has the horse in a race 2 weeks later.

[iceknight]

i am also finding out that often times when you take the blinkers off the horse they can give you a better effort. Anecdotal evidence, but I was at my wit's end last night and the Blnkr Off note for Jazzy Alexis (Tyler Pizzaro) caught my eye and helped me... or I thought it did. :lol:

[Longshot6977]

I would think that on a sunny day, a semi or full blinker cup would cause a glare into the horse's eye at the right angle. I sometimes get a glare when wearing sunglasses if the sun hits it a certain way. Shouldn't the inside of the cup be painted black, for the same reason a baseball player uses black under his eyes on a sunny day? Anyone know about this?

[nijinski]

I didn't see it on Equibase as a change . looks like Asmussen's Bill Of Rights , his recent claim , ran without blinkers . He won the 11th Belmont .

[letswastemoney]

I didn't see it on Equibase as a change . looks like Asmussen's Bill Of Rights , his recent claim , ran without blinkers . He won the 11th Belmont .
He still showed speed and won. Good for the Well Armed sibling.

[nijinski]

He still showed speed and won. Good for the Well Armed sibling.
According to the chart , he still had blinkers . I watched him gallop home and could swear he didn't . Unless the sun glare on my screen was
that bad :D as I was outside .
Did you notice?

[nijinski]

My bad , it looks like he has a dark hood on , a good match for his coat
I must say .