Jockeys Push for the Wire

[bigmack]

Thread stems from SA Race 2. Does Stylin Cat win because Gryder asked for more or Seeking Answers doesn't because Nakatani doesn't ask enough in deep stretch? If you get a chance, watch the replay.

Also, who amongst current jocks are aces at driving to the wire?

[the_fat_man]

If you're interested in this type of thing, you should take a look at the replay (HEADON a must) of yesterday's (10/06) 4th at Belmont.

What we knew going in:

1) Merchant Marine runs with his head low (and I do mean low, his head doesn't bob like the typical racehorse) --- this was the difference in beating Joppa Flats a dirty head his 1st time out.

2) Gold Trippi has poor footwork in general, trouble changing in the lane, and doesn't really like to win. Not exactly the most courageous of horses.


So they turn for home, and Merchant Marine makes the lead and here comes Trippi, wide, on the wrong lead, and his tongue hanging out to the grandstand (yeah, he needs a tonguetie).

Trippi finally changes, but he's still all over the place, unable to stay straight, and as the headon will show, he runs with his head extremely high and the low-head-running MM holds him off by a neck.

Of course, Cornelio smacking MM lefty a few strides before they hit the wire and causing him to come out significantly, TWICE, and thereby deterring any determination (small as it already is) that Trippi might've had went a long way towards winning that race.

[bigmack]

Cornelio smacking MM lefty a few strides before they hit the wire and causing him to come out significantly, TWICE, and thereby deterring any determination (small as it already is) that Trippi might've had went a long way towards winning that race.
Those are the kind of actions a jock makes that can be head scratching to watch as it was clear the M2 veered with every left whip he endured. Corne is then left with a heat of the moment decision of keep whipping, stop whipping and/or change whip hands. Does he find M2 pushing harder with the whip outweighing veering with every crack?

In my aforementioned example, I saw nothing from Nakatani that called for the horse to do anything more than he was. Gryder did in ernest, and garnered the W.

[the_fat_man]

The point is that Cornelio secured the win by having his horse come out late. If you watch closely, Trippi wants nothing to do with a horse that's a threat to bump him. Castellano uses this maneuver to great advantage.

If the case of your race, a number of points:

1) the winner was probably best as he ducks out quite a bit at the start, then cuts all the way across the track to get the rail. And, he does all the early running. While Gryder whips him steadily through the lane, he does let up late, only waving the whip as he comes on again, while very subtly coming out a bit.

2) the 2nd horse is under furious lefty whipping while trying to get in and not changing leads. When he finally does change, midstretch, at which point he's come from the outside to be right next to the winner (who is on the rail), Nakatani, probably thinking he's getting all he can from the horse and having made the lead, lets up on the whip and hand rides him to the wire.

I can't blame him for not whipping the horse to the wire. I've seen too many cases where a horse will fall apart late on the turf and feeling the whip will cause it to duck in or out. Lost alot of races this summer because of whip happy jocks on the turf.

If I knew these horses I could offer something other than an objective evaluation.

[bigmack]

Dexterous construct of picking clean the subtleties of a race, FM.

As I don't want to feign a call for Nakatani to go to the whip, "riding out" is not the only other option.

I assembled a team of yesteryear with each member offering up their specialty. We had a guy that did trips and he was very good. You, however, are a Grand Master. Thanks, FM.

[Semipro]

Great jocks know when to whip when to not Gary Stevens and Pat Day had those instints.