Horses weight as handicapping factor

[luisbe]

Is there publication depicting horses weight before a race?
The reason I asked is the fact that any athlete with either under or over weight will not perform at its best.
I know this is only for 5yo and up.
I.e.: just suppose trainer JohnDoe starts a horse weighing 80 pounds lighter (or heavier) than the weight showed during its peak performances, would you still consider it a contender?

I'm sure all horses are weighed before a race, how long before?

[Tom]

Not listed in any PPS and widespread weighing probably not done.

[lamboguy]

Greyhounds get weighed not race horses

[Frost king]

All good trainers have scales to weigh there horses. It is an important factor in knowing what is going on in a horse. Trainer A claims a horse, lays him off one month, and the horse comes back, 50 lbs heavier. Is it fat or muscle? Same thing with a two year old? If they come back in the spring 150-200 lbs heavier, they have grown over the winter. If the same or a marginal weight gain, the horse has remained static, and very little improvement is expected. More important than people think.

[turninforhome10]

Try playing Hong Kong races. I have made the switch and am finding it challenging, it is nice to have all the info the HKJC provides. http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/Info/m...eCard/english/
You can look at the declared weight and using the pp's see if they have gained or lost since last race. After playing Hong Kong, I really like the fact that they disclose everything. US racing could learn alot about how to conduct races by mirroring the HKJC model.
And as far as weighing horses go, high dollar trainers may have scales, but coming from a smaller operation, we used a tape measure that measures the girth and a conversion is made to give us the approx. weight.

[whodoyoulike]

Originally Posted by lamboguy

Greyhounds get weighed not race horses

Why do you think tracks don't provide the weights? Is it costs? I've seen a number of warehouses scales which can provide the info.

I've been wanting this info for years. It appears the other responses concur.

[davew]

I remember seeing horse weights somewhere before, not sure if it was a different country or chariot races (pacers/trotters).

[Dave Schwartz]

As I recall, TP had weights in their local program a decade or so ago. People told me that it was a very interesting stat.

Unfortunately, it never caught on.

[Cratos]

Originally Posted by whodoyoulike

Why do you think tracks don't provide the weights? Is it costs? I've seen a number of warehouses scales which can provide the info.

I've been wanting this info for years. It appears the other responses concur.

It might be cost, but that is the cost of during business; providing quality service to your customers.

[luisbe]

The cost of a scale? I don't think so.
I believe trainers have that info periodically.
I've checked the Hong Kong link above and the trainers have to supply that info in the entry form, mandatory.

[davew]

Originally Posted by luisbe

The cost of a scale? I don't think so.
I believe trainers have that info periodically.
I've checked the Hong Kong link above and the trainers have to supply that info in the entry form, mandatory.

I think the problem would be getting the info in time to publish in ?program, pp, whatever? and then checking it at race time, and then deciding what to do if the weight is off by some increment. What would happen if the horse ran 30 pounds heavier or lighter than what was posted?

[whodoyoulike]

Originally Posted by davew

I think the problem would be getting the info in time to publish in ?program, pp, whatever? and then checking it at race time, and then deciding what to do if the weight is off by some increment. What would happen if the horse ran 30 pounds heavier or lighter than what was posted?

I see your point. Maybe they'll have the announcer broadcast and the tracks post similar to over weights.

Something like Horse A - 150 lbs. over/under etc. It's not insurmountable.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by whodoyoulike

I see your point. Maybe they'll have the announcer broadcast and the tracks post similar to over weights.

Something like Horse A - 150 lbs. over/under etc. It's not insurmountable.

It's all insurmountable. Racing can do very little right.
Over-lapping post times, incorrect timing.....and no significant action to ever fix it. Forget it, racing is not a real sport or game and never will be. It is a fringe event where customers do not count. If you wnat modern technology, go to a high school track meet.

[Frost king]

If they can weigh dogs before races, they can surely do horses. The old adage still exists on the race track, when it comes to be people from outside the flock. "Just shovel the shit on them like mushrooms, and keep them in the dark."

[cj]

Originally Posted by Frost king

If they can weigh dogs before races, they can surely do horses. The old adage still exists on the race track, when it comes to be people from outside the flock. "Just shovel the shit on them like mushrooms, and keep them in the dark."

They used to do it at Freehold and published the weights in the PPs. They would announce "day of race" weights prior to the race, and I remember people frantically scribbling the weight into the program. I never found it particularly useful, weights were all over the place and didn't seem to have much if any correlation to performance.