Much to do about nothing A long Inquiry

[Binder]

I think its gonna be a long long time

Yesterday 6/26 while waiting between races at PHA I looked up at the TV screen over head and saw a race from Arlington(#5) was almost ready to be run
I had no Racing Form or even a track Program as I was just wagering Philly
and already had my choices. I was just watching the odds
to make my final decisions The TV screen right over my table was showing Arlington
I noticed that the favorite was 7/2 and It was a three way entry
I figured I would just scum around since the upcoming Philly race looked like another pass
I figured that the 3 way entry must not be to strong at 7/2 But maybe one of them
could place I went up and got an Exacta ticket All with #1 for $1
it cost $9.00 So the race goes off and the race is full of #1's but they are all camera
shy I guess they like hanging around together at the barn and now they are running together watching the other horses rears The race bunched up at the end and I did see one of the
#1 entry up there They posted the results #2 13/1 #10 14/1 and #1X 5/2
The race looked strange then sure enough there was an Inquiry
This turned out to be the longest Inquiry I ever saw. The top 3 finishers the 2 10
and 1X were blinking So I thought maybe they will take the 2 or 10 down and I would hit the Exacta It was taking forever they kept showing the replay but it was just chaos
It just looked like a rumble Everyone was crashing into each other
I read the result charts for this race and the comment was
THE TRAINER OF JAGUAR FRIEND #10 LODGED A CLAIM OF FOUL AGAINST FORT PRADO #2 ALLEGING INTERFERENCE IN THE STRETCH AND THE RIDER OF PRAIRIE KING #1X LODGED A CLAIM OF FOUL AGAINST JAGUAR FRIEND ALSO ALLEGING INTERFERENCE IN THE STRETCH BUT NO ACTION WAS TAKEN.
It seemed like after a while they just said screw it! Let it go.

. Has anyone ever seen a race like this?
Just so much chaos they just let it stay
No sour grapes intended. It was just a fun bet for me
But it was still weird how long they took to do nothing

Bind

[Valuist]

I agree I thought it was a ridiculous inquiry. When Block's horse (the winner) turned into the stretch he came out just a tiny bit. There appeared to be no contact but the rider of Jaguar Friend went thru all kinds of theatrics, and in doing so, bothered Prairie King. The rider of Jaguar Friend should be fined for trying to cause a frivilous DQ, and he did bother the other horse.

[fmhealth]

Unfortunately this is very common at AP. In the third race yesterday they looked at the replay 14 TIMES !! Everyone could see the interference in the stretch run. I called the stewards, as I do virtually every week. Told them that as usual they were doing a disservice to the betting public by taking so long on an obvious foul. They said that it was more complicated than it looked. PLEASE !! After another 3 replays they mercifully DQ'd the second horse.

I wasn't financially involved in this race. But this is just another example of the complete inability of racing to respond to their customers. A twenty minute delay for a foul that Helen Keller could see is UNACCEPTABLE. Happens almost every week at AP.

[The_Knight_Sky]

Originally posted by fmhealth
A twenty minute delay for a foul that Helen Keller could see is UNACCEPTABLE.
http://www.hoc-board.de/phpBB2/smilies/lachen/lachen.gif

[Bubbles]

Originally posted by Binder

Has anyone ever seen a race like this?


There's a really famous race like this, actually. In the 1970 San Juan Capistrano, Fiddle Isle originally dead-heated with Quicken Tree, with Fort Marcy a nose behind them in third. Laffit Pincay on the favorite, fourth-place horse Hitchcock, declared foul on both Fiddle Isle and Fort Marcy for interference, while Fort Marcy's rider, Jorge Velasquez, lodged a protest against Fiddle Isle for the same cause. After about ten minutes, stewards decided to let the original order of finish stand, with the belief any interference caused didn't affect the order of finish.

Thank God there wasn't exacta or trifecta wagering on the race. Those inquiries, as well as the dead-heat, would have split the payouts seven ways from Texas. ;)

[dav4463]

There was one at Mountaineer last week. It took at least 15 minutes for the decision to let the race stand when there was obvious interference involving 3 horses....Looks like they said, "screw it, leave it the way it finished !"

[Binder]

"Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away"

For what its worth - Buffalo Springfield

I always wonder Who are these stewards ?
Are they guys who used to load the horses and got promoted for
good attendence?. Or are they ex ticket sellers who made too many mistakes because they couldn't see the tote keys

Do you have to go to Steward school ?

Do they take into account the final odds of the horses in question? Like are they holding off throwing out a favorite
and keeping 2 longshots?
Or a popular jockey, Do they get treated differently
in these Inquirys?


Binder

[JackS]

Binder- Interesting questions and I don't have an answer. It does vary track to track and have a feeing that at the better tracks ,horses are better behaved thus less likely to be overlooked if an inquiry is to be called. The minor tracks would be likly to have 3-4 inquiries a day if judged by the same stewards at the majors.

[Valuist]

The Illinois stewards have certainly gotten their fair share of criticism. One of the stewards, Arroyo (can't remember his first name) is a former jock. I think Bill Hartack is going to be coming back to work as a steward at the Chicago tracks, if he hasn't already. I believe former riders should NOT be allowed to be stewards; they have too many friends and connections with the riding colony, and will be less likely, IMO, to DQ horses when its merited.

That said, the stewards in South Florida are the worst in North America, IMO.

[Bubbles]

Originally posted by Binder
"Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away"

For what its worth - Buffalo Springfield



We got to stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going, down...

Must be the sound of another wasted inquiry...:) :D ;)

[Binder]

Hey Bubbles

We might as well take from the top
This line says it all .....

"There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear"

Thanks for the example race from 1970
I agree And I wonder if the exotic bets have changed
The way the stewards look at Inquirys

Binder

[Bubbles]

"There's a man with a gun over there,
Telling me, I've got to beware."

Exotics bets and increased purses may not have changed the way stewards look at inquiries, but it as sure changed the way jockeys lodge them. In Monarchos's Kentucky Derby, for instance, John Velasquez, the rider of Invisible Ink, the second-place horse, lodged a protest against the gray for minor interference.

THE HORSE FINISHED SOME FOUR LENGTHS BEHIND.

Naturally, the claim was disallowed, and Monarchos's second-fastest Derby time stood. Still kinda annoying, though.