Front Bandages

[maxwell]

Should fronts be allowed in this game? If a horse doesn't need them, it's trickery and deceit. If it does need them, it probably shouldn't be running.

Bute strikes me as a sore spot in this game, and I'm not too crazy about fronts either. I know some horses run very well with them on but who knows if the horse actually benefited from them. And why would they? Support?

Should horses have to have an actual medical condition before they are allowed to wear them? ( flat feet perhaps ) :D

Should the public be informed via the Racing Form?

Should this remain in the murky realm of trainer angles?

When it comes to racing we all have one or more pet peeves. This one grinds on me more than most.

[46zilzal]

So many now use them routinely that it does not have the meaning it had in the past. Most Mr. Prospector's wore them and many of those did well.

[maxwell]

46,

Lasix is so prevelent that it is a bad joke but its use has to be made public. As does blinkers. There's no comparison between the use of lasix and fronts.

Keeneland :

Horses wearing fronts : 11/55

Horses on lasix : 54/55

On BC Day 12 of 113 horses wore fronts ( none won ) . I didn't even bother to check out how many were on lasix.

I find it odd that changes that are considered to be an advantage ( betting edge ) must be made public but negative ones don't. Even nasal strips were posted for a while. :D

If racing wants us to bet when we can't make it to the track to see what we're betting on - 99% of us do work - then we should have access to all pre-race information that concerns us. And fronts concern me.

In this age of advanced communication devices such as smartphones with web access, internet and phone wagering, racing should be doing its utmost to keep the betting public informed ... and betting! :)

[onefast99]

46,

Lasix is so prevelent that it is a bad joke but its use has to be made public. As does blinkers. There's no comparison between the use of lasix and fronts.

Keeneland :

Horses wearing fronts : 11/55

Horses on lasix : 54/55

On BC Day 12 of 113 horses wore fronts ( none won ) . I didn't even bother to check out how many were on lasix.

I find it odd that changes that are considered to be an advantage ( betting edge ) must be made public but negative ones don't. Even nasal strips were posted for a while. :D

If racing wants us to bet when we can't make it to the track to see what we're betting on - 99% of us do work - then we should have access to all pre-race information that concerns us. And fronts concern me.

In this age of advanced communication devices such as smartphones with web access, internet and phone wagering, racing should be doing its utmost to keep the betting public informed ... and betting! :)
Fronts are used as a "support" or used for horses that hit themselves because they have coordination flaws known as confirmation flaws this also results in run downs so the back ankles get wraps or bandages as well(some use bicycle tire tubes). The turf horses very rarely get back bandages. The fronts are also used to keep an old ankle injury tight as well as any suspensory issues. The bettor should be made aware of this change!

[Valuist]

I'm a big believer in the Bute factor. When you see horses like Lava Man and Balance, who have had excellent races in California (and on Bute) but struggle when they leave the state, the media says "they don't travel well". I suppose there's some possibility thats true, but I suspect they really need the Bute and are up against it when they don't use it. Whenever I see a shipper from California or Minnesota or Iowa, I want to see if the horse has run well in the past without Bute.....otherwise they become a play against.

[Steve 'StatMan']

Remember at CD, the amount of bute isn't regulated, which is why it isn't listed. Many of those horses race on bute, but they don't tell us. May apply to other states too, like Ohio & WV (kindly correct me if I'm wrong on those other two states.)

[maxwell]

I believe Dancer's Image was DQed from the Kentucky Derby ( 1968? ) for having a trace amount of bute in his system. Now they can run around out there hopped up on all kinds of the stuff?

Only in racing! :D