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[v j stauffer]

=It's so easy for people to holler STIFF!

Do jocks hold horses?

Sure, it happens but not nearly as often as people think.

There are a million reasons why it may appear a rider is not giving a maximum effort that aren't nefarious.

By far the biggest one is horses that are sore.

Well then just take them to the vet and have them scratched.

For reasons I haven't figured out in my 45 years in the game. Trainers get pissed when horses are late VET scratches. Jock's are more willing to not let a sore one run than hear the wrath and lost business from trainers who will take them off other horses.

I'd think they'd be happy the rider and vet are looking out for the best welfare of the horse. You can always run back in a couple weeks.

I guess they think it makes them look bad. I don't.

Other reasons why a horse may look like it's being stiffed?

Green, still learning.

Equipment they hate.

Riders that are well let's just say not as brave as some others. This becomes clear very quickly and that jock's business goes immediately into the crapper.

Here's a big one. TRACK CONDITION. When a horse hates the track, the jock feels like he's trying to walk across an ice rink in spike heels. It's going to make the jock look very tentative as though he's not trying when in fact, he's just trying to nurse him along and avoid anyone getting hurt.

Studs who just refuse to run. Beating them up and overtrying is counterproductive. Just pisses them off and makes them more contrary.

Fillies that are in heat. Horses that like running behind fillies that are in heat. Believe me that happens. Thankfully I don't do that anymore.

Then we graduate into actual race fixing. A multipronged conspiracy.

Does that happen? Yes. But I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I've seen it since I first came to the races in 1975.

There's no reason to risk an entire career by "trying" to make one big score. Especially with multiple people being involved.

Bottom line. Are there some shady characters? Sure, no different than any other billion-dollar industry.

But there are also legions of qualified regulators that know what to look for. Stewards, TRPB, Commissions, HISA, myself.

As well as people who have devoted their lives to gaining intimate knowledge into the real interworking's of the game, TLG et al, that also know what to look for.

My suggestion is to take all the times many of you are wasting looking for jocks who are stiffing horses and use that time to dive deeper into your handicapping and find ways to take the money of the conspiracy theorists and lazy cappers who aren't willing to do the work.

LET'S GO!