Question for McSchell?

[delayjf]

An earlier thread touched on workout patterns, but I've been noticing quite a few horses coming off layoffs and winning with few if any workouts at all. Since you race and train horses I though you could answer the following:

Is it possible to get a horse ready for a big effort on morning gallops alone OR can we assume that the horse in question is training at a private training track? (My preference)

Thanks in advance.

[rrbauer]

I'll let Tom answer from the "can you do it on gallops alone" perspective.

Many, many training facilities including race tracks do not spend a lot of time policing morning exercise rituals. You take your horse over, give it some warm up, followed by a 5f breeze, followed by some gallop out to finish. If the track/training facility does not have an identifier and does not go to great pains to register/monitor/record workouts then in the paper there was no workout. In fact, years ago, when we had horses at Turf Paradise, we had to tell the DRF trackman when a horse worked, what distance and the time. I found this out after seeing a work listed in the pp's for one of our horses and queried the DRF guy about how the horse looked in the work. He told me that "Oh, I didn't see that work. Your trainer told me about it." On the other hand, the SoCal tracks go to great lengths to identify, monitor and record workouts but they seem to be the exception.

Also, some trainers, even at venues that pay a lot of attention to workouts, play games with the distance. Games like not ending the work at the finish line where the clockers are punching "stop" on their watches. Baffert, for example, seldom has horses with 6f works on the work tab. This is because he will have a horse break off at the 5/8 pole and work it down to the 7/8 pole. That's 6f but the clockers only clocked the work to the finish line as a 5f work and that's what gets published.

[karlskorner]

OR ...... as the Clocker told his apprentice " Remember 48 and 2 is 50 "

[point given]

If I remember correctly, at PBD or Payson, forget which, they have a notebook for the trainer to fill in the workout data. An always accurate barometer :rolleyes:

[kenwoodallpromos]

OR ...... as the Clocker told his apprentice " Remember 48 and 2 is 50 "
LOL!!

[CryingForTheHorses]

Yes you can get a horse ready for a race with strong gallops without recording a work..Say for instance you have a horse who has had 25 races for the year and you give him 6 weeks off..That horse is fit..All you need to do is make sure he has enough wind...I would rather run my horse fit rather then work him to death and risk a breakdown..A race is worth 5 works

[delayjf]

Thanks for the replys. I always understood that workout can be missed by the clockers, but when I see no works in several months - it seems incredible that they would miss ALL that horses works. That is what leads me to think they are training the horse away from the track.

The horses I'm refering to are the ones winning off a layoff while showing no works. Mcshell, in your case, am I understanding you correctly that you prefer give your horse a race prior as a conditioner??

[Alydarwasbest]

Some states have rules regarding workouts and the amount of time between a horse's last race. In some states you cannot run a horse who does not have a recorded workout in the last 30 days and has not competed for 30 days or 60 days (depending on the state). They should have a universal rule for this. But as we all know, they should have a lot of universal rules (on lasix, bute, etc.).

[kenwoodallpromos]

Thanks for the replys. I always understood that workout can be missed by the clockers, but when I see no works in several months - it seems incredible that they would miss ALL that horses works. That is what leads me to think they are training the horse away from the track.

The horses I'm refering to are the ones winning off a layoff while showing no works. Mcshell, in your case, am I understanding you correctly that you prefer give your horse a race prior as a conditioner??
_______________________
Tom's post about "run him fit" can be taken another way, but sounds like he is saying if the horse is about fit keep it that way by correct race placement.
I do not think Tom would put a horse in a race if there was something lacking about training or ability to compete. I know sometimes in the past he would get the horse up to racing fit on the farm and use workouts as a final touch (as I would put it!).
I'm sure some trainers are guessing as to if a horse can handle an entered race Tom is not one.

[point given]

Thanks for the replys. I always understood that workout can be missed by the clockers, but when I see no works in several months - it seems incredible that they would miss ALL that horses works. That is what leads me to think they are training the horse away from the track.

The horses I'm refering to are the ones winning off a layoff while showing no works. Mcshell, in your case, am I understanding you correctly that you prefer give your horse a race prior as a conditioner??

guaranteed, a training center. some conditioners prefer them to stabling at the track. To me its far better for the horse to be turned out a couple hours a day in a paddock than to spend all that time in the stall. Trainers also match up their horses in workouts to see how they measure up class and condition wise. Take a look at the Monmouth meet in the spring with NJ bred races, thats pretty much all they race in May-Sept, except for the few that can win in open company.