California 2 furlong "joke" races

[horses721]

I rarely play the 2 furlong races at Santa Anita because I don't enjoy playing glorified quarterhorse races where the horses can cause all kinds of problems and interfere with other horses without worrying about a DQ. As I watched the first race today(4/18) at Santa Anita, it looks like the 7 horse broke from the gate, started heading toward the rail and interfered with a few horses, especially #4 and wasn't disqualified. Is there anybody else out there that plays these races and feels that the stewards don't watch these races or care about what horses do in them? Then again, I'm not a QH player so maybe this is the norm.

[46zilzal]

We have 3 1/2f baby races that should be run in the AM for training purposes only.

[Imriledup]

There's probably a different criteria for disqualifications in these races. I don't believe riders are allowed to use whips and there might be more leeway because they know they are green 2 year olds, so more stuff gets let go?

Also, you get 5 strides or something to 'get your legs under you'. Anything that happens in the first few jumps is usually let go. There's bumping all the time in QH races at the start....if they dq'd every bump at the start of a QH race, there would be a dq every race pretty much.

Different set of criteria for a 2f race i'm thinking. Things out of the gate get ignored usually because they can't hold 2 year olds to that high of a standard to maintain an exact straight line out of the gate.

[facorsig]

I think the 2f races are a by-product of the over emphasis on speed in the sales. You'll never see these horses again after October of this year. They are incapable to compete at distances 5f or longer, particularly as the development of other horses pass them (these other horses are passed by your best horses who commence racing either very late as 2yo or as 3 yo). They have very brief racing careers and are sent to the races because their development is peaking too soon.

I don't care for these races either, but they serve a purpose.

[cj]

Squirtle Squirt is the only horse of note I can remember starting in these 2f races.

[horses721]

There's probably a different criteria for disqualifications in these races. I don't believe riders are allowed to use whips and there might be more leeway because they know they are green 2 year olds, so more stuff gets let go?

Also, you get 5 strides or something to 'get your legs under you'. Anything that happens in the first few jumps is usually let go. There's bumping all the time in QH races at the start....if they dq'd every bump at the start of a QH race, there would be a dq every race pretty much.

Different set of criteria for a 2f race i'm thinking. Things out of the gate get ignored usually because they can't hold 2 year olds to that high of a standard to maintain an exact straight line out of the gate.

Thanks for the info. I figured their had to be a little leeway in these races but their had to be some kind of limits. I just think that the 7 caused interference all the way through the race up until the wire but I guess that means nothing. I know I'm never playing these gimmick races anymore if no type of rules apply.

[The Bit]

They aren't my favorite either and as already mentioned, most won't be around past the summer.