Ever notice....
 

How many times a horse turns for home and starts looking at the grandstand, and how uncomfortably often the jockey doesn't try all that hard to straighten his head out?

I've noticed this...a lot...I find myself yelling at my PC monitor "straighten his head out!"

The simplest things sometimes...it's uncanny how often the ones that DO straighten the horse's head out go on to kick it into gear...

Geez, so obvious you've never ridden a horse or spent a day on the backside. These guys are pros, the best in the world!!!









:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
(sorry, couldn't resist)

This is completely false, I have photographic proof of PA's experience on horses.

As to what PA is talking about, it also seem's to me that the longer you are telling the jockey to "straighten his head out", or in my case I am saying "Show him his target", the less chance the horse has to win.

My pet peeve? Riders who haven't taken the time to develop a left hand.

If you've ever played basketball then you know there's a right way and a wrong way to handle the ball when you drive to the basket for a layup. When you drive to the right side of the basket: Use your right hand. When you drive to the left side of the basket: Use your left hand.

As a general rule that's the correct way to handle the ball because it reduces the likelihood of a defender stealing the ball or blocking your shot.

After watching 10's of 1000's of races over the years I've come to believe something similar exists in thoroughbred horse racing.

Imo, riders who possess the athletic ability to (quickly) switch hands with the whip in the stretch have an advantage over those who lack that ability.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen a rider get an early speed type to the wire first after going to the left hand in the stretch --

Wheras I can't tell you how many times I've seen a rider without a left hand get an early speed type caught at the wire.

As someone who learned how to do a left handed layup by the time I was ten, it's mind blowing to me how many of today's riders haven't taken the time to develop a left hand.

Watch a replay of yesterday's Indiana Derby. Imo, the stretch run of that race is a perfect example.



-jp

.

2 things and intentionally burying a Red Board on Gaby Gaudet in here because I like her.

1. When a jockey on the lead, turns around and looks back at the field. I get it on the run-up, and I get it up the backstretch routing. But at the top of the stretch it has to be 100% on the ears. Great jockeys see everything behind them with their ears in the stretch.

2. Manny Franco gets more F'n clipped heals and bounced around in the runup than any jockey I ever seen. I wonder if he has a blindfold on. He runs his horses into trouble crazy style. Kamikaze pilot in his previous life?

GG call out. Pretty and Talks horses as good as anyone. On Stars & Stripes Day she was in beautiful dress with pearl necklace. I had to take an extra blood pressure pill;)

6th at Belmont today, the team filling in for Andy Serling were dissecting the race.

Horse A was 1.90 Horse B was 2.20. Ten Eck and Joe's Smoking Gun But damn didn't the 3 of them spend 10 minutes dissecting razor thin differences in the 2 of them. . They were right, and it ran 4-7. But Gaby had taken the 7 who ran 2nd.


And she then said: "If I had known I was going to get Ten Eck at 2-1, I would of picked him".. Lol. Gaby, you can't say that Girl!

Did you see on Twitter the Mig’s Criticism of your criticism?

My rider pet peeve is when you have a 15/1 or so that gets loose at the top of the stretch, and your rider checks between his legs 2 or 3 times, over/under his shoulders a couple of times as if he is completely shocked he has a 6 length lead. :pound:


One of these days when I have one of those (maybe in another year or 10), he'll/she'll actually fall off. :pout:

Yeah, "put on your boots...." Ass clown reply.
We could talk about a hell of lot more moron rides that what PA was talking about.

Hey MIG - buy yourself a board and then YOU can tell people what to talk about! :lol:

I'm wondering why the Mig didn't have the courtesy or balls to do it here.

No. Feel free to post it. I'd be interested to read it.

I've probably said it more often than anyone on here, that I respect the hell out of jockeys and have written more than a few times that they have balls of steel to do what they do.

I am more often than not the one pushing back against the folks on here who over the years blame everything on the jockey.

But I can't deny what I see with my own eyes watching race after race.

The "you try it" response is so lame. Why not take the time to educate about why he thinks the post is wrong?

Did PA-Mike appoint himself a "steward of racing"...without us noticing? :eek:

I appointed myself the PA-Steward. It's right under my name...:pound:

I respect Mig. Not going to say a bad word about him.

He has his opinion which obviously holds more weight than mine.

I don't think that what I stated was that insulting to jockeys. It's just an observation. I guess it's not so simple to try and straighten a horse's head while running at top speed.