Quote:
Originally Posted by classhandicapper
Horses that get a "trouble" comment often come back to do better (especially if it happened to be a first time starter), but once they draw a comment it seems like they often get over bet.
I think the best trouble is sometimes subtle gate trouble that doesn't draw a comment. Sometimes a very small disadvantage at the start translates into the horse falling way behind it's customary and desired position because of the way the other horses kind of close things off quickly. It's not like I find loads of winners that way, but every once in awhile I find a horse with a race that looks bad on paper but I feel comfortable throwing that race out.
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My contribution to the trouble discussion would be big fields on the grass. Often times, the winner is the horse who gets a good trip on the far turn, and if all of the horses who have a decent shot get obstructed or have to wait on the far turn, the horse on the lead holds on.
It's not always dramatic. It's sometimes just sitting in 7th place at the 5/16th pole with horses on all sides, waiting to be able to go. And by the time the horse finally finds room to run, it's too late and another horse has gotten the jump or the horse on the lead has pulled away.
And that sort of trouble often doesn't get much of a descriptive comment the way the horse who dramatically steadies does.
