I thought they changed that rule

[cees with dees]

If a horse was struck by the whip but it had no bearing on the order of finish they could leave the number up. So why the takedown of Maddy's Lion??
I don;t mind as long as there is some consistency but according to the new rule, this takedown was a joke.

[the_fat_man]

Much is made of juicing in the game and it seems as if racing forum members are up in arms about it.

But if I play a certain track or tracks, I know who the juicers are, I probably know their patterns, and I go about my business.

There are other, more important, issues, not really discussed by forum members, that play a bigger role in how I go about my business; among them:

1) inconsistent/irrational decisions by the stewards --if you can't think along with them and be able to predict the outcome of given situation, then you're really behind the 8 ball.

2) poor quality replays --- why does NYRA insist on switching from rear to front view early stretch rather than BEFORE they enter the stretch, in the headons; OR how many times do they start the replay AFTER the horses have left the gate.

3) accurate equipment info: shoes, tongue-ties, blinkers, etc.

[judd]

hey fats,
how about some picks today

[cj]

Much is made of juicing in the game and it seems as if racing forum members are up in arms about it.

But if I play a certain track or tracks, I know who the juicers are, I probably know their patterns, and I go about my business.

There are other, more important, issues, not really discussed by forum members, that play a bigger role in how I go about my business; among them:

1) inconsistent/irrational decisions by the stewards --if you can't think along with them and be able to predict the outcome of given situation, then you're really behind the 8 ball.

2) poor quality replays --- why does NYRA insist on switching from rear to front view early stretch rather than BEFORE they enter the stretch, in the headons; OR how many times do they start the replay AFTER the horses have left the gate.

3) accurate equipment info: shoes, tongue-ties, blinkers, etc.

I agree with you, but what can anyone do about number 1? Are you actually making bets with an eye on what the stewards might do if there happens to be a foul in the race?

The Aqueduct turf replays are horrible.

[Tom Barrister]

The problem is that the stewards can do whatever they please, and while the horsemen can sometimes get it overturn in court later, the bettors can't. A lot of times, the decision is determined by politics, personal agendas, and whims, rather than the evidence at hand.

About 20 years ago, I was announcing the harness races (they were non-betting) at a county fair in Illinois, and during a small stakes race (about a $2,000 purse), a driver pulled his horse out without clearance and impeded the horse alongside it, causing that horse to break and ultimately finish fourth in the field of five. The horse causing the interference won the race easily. The stewards were sitting next to me in the stands. When the race was over, the stewards told me they were calling an inquiry, and I announced that to the 100 or so fans there. There wasn't any replay equipment on hand. At that time, there was no rule about interference affecting the outcome of the race, but it isn't applicable here anyway. The conversation went as follows (names changed):

Steward 1(Claude): Well, Jack (the driver of the winner) did it again. Same damn thing as yesterday.

Steward 2 (Don): I think the 2 (the horse that broke) shied away. I don't think Jack's horse bothered her.

Steward 3 (Vince): Didn't bother her? the 3 (the horse that won) damn near knocked her over.

Claude: The 1 bothered her, Don.

Don: I don't think she did, Claude. What do you think, Tom?

Me: He came out without clearance, and there was contact.

Don: Well, I'll take your word for it. You have the best binoculars. Okay, maybe Jack's horse did make the 3 break. Now, the problem is: how do we not take the horse down?

Claude: Not take her down? How can we leave her up?

Vince: Because she's supposed to win this race, Claude.

Claude: Oh she is? I didn't know that.

Don: All the owners know it.

Vince: And all the drivers know it. I don't know what Dave (the driver of the 3) was thinking when he went first over the 2. How does he expect the horse to get out? He knew she was supposed to win. Even Tom knew she was supposed to win, right Tom?

I nodded.

Don: Heck, half the people in the stands knew it. You're always the last one to find out, Claude.

(Laughter from all three)

Claude: Okay, then Dave ( who was also the owner/trainer of #3) is okay with not DQ'ing Jack's horse?

Don: Yes, Knucklehead, Jack will square the money with Dave later.

Vince: Then we're agreed. No disqualification?

That was agreed, and I announced this over the loudspeaker. One or two people made a noise that might have sounded like a boo, it lasted about two seconds, and that was the end of it.

The three stewards went down to the concession stand, and a young man who was sitting not far away (and had overheard everything) approached me. "I know that the harness races aren't on the square all the time," he told me (a gigantic understatement), "but what did they mean by it was 'Jack's race'? There's no betting. Why were they giving it to him?"

"Because," I explained, "the horse has to win at least one county fair race to qualify for some of the races in Springfield and DuQuoin (the two major fairs in Illinois for harness racing, where the bigger Illinois-bred races were held)." Technically, a horse only had to race in X number of county fair races to qualify for the two big meets, but only so many horses were allowed to compete in each series of heats, and a win was one of the qualifiers if the list was longer than the available spots.

"So they just let him win this race?" he asked.

"More or less," I told him. "And somewhere else, he'll let them win one. They all work with each other."

The man shook his head and walked away muttering something about never betting another harness race as long as he lived (and would have been doing himself a favor if he honored that).