On Sunday May 12, 2019 it was raining at Monmouth as the horses made their way onto the track for the Long Branch Stakes.
I watched the track video, astonished, as the horses were walked (post parade) in front of the grandstand, walked past the gate, made a j-turn (still walking), and were walked directly to the starting gate.
None of the horses were allowed to warm up.
Normally, even when the track announcer says the horses will be heading straight to the gate: the horses are allowed a brief warmup.
Unless I'm badly mistaken this is done for safety reasons.
If something is obviously wrong with a horse, the rider at least has a chance to feel it during the warmup and speak up.
Without a brief warmup, the rider has almost no chance of feeling it and speaking up.
Also, many horsemen, not just owners and trainers of thoroughbred race horses - but owners and trainers of horses of all types everywhere believe that warming your horse up prior to asking your horse for maximum exertion is the right thing to do -
for the horse!
As fate would have it Red Gum pressed the pace and suffered a fatal breakdown on the far turn.
Would things have been different if the horses had been allowed a few minutes to warm up?
Maybe not.
But I'll never know.
But here's what I do know and it comes straight from the gut:
The decision to skip pre-race warmups at Monmouth that day?
Imo, the exact opposite of taking care of the horses.
05-12-2019 Monmouth R9
https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqb...AY=D&STYLE=EQB
-jp
.