Help with a pre-race "good" evaluation phrase that drives me crazy

[BarchCapper]

Can anyone tell me the origin of the POSITIVE handicapping/evaluation phrase: "_____ should hit this horse right between the eyes" ?

I hear it SO often nowadays and don't remember it from my pre-2005 racing life.

It holds such a negative connotation for me - prior to having an injectable euthanasia solution, shooting a horse slightly above but between the eyes was a preferred method of putting a horse down. Still likely very common when the vet isn't available/too expensive:

"If you choose to use a firearm, the preferred method is by a rifle shot using the frontal method. The ideal site is slightly above (1cm) the intersection of two imaginary lines drawn from the eye to the opposite ear."

In our reasonably (sometimes overly) sensitive times - I'm surprised that any term involving "hitting" has traction to begin with, but this one continually surprises me with its widespread use.

The closest correlation I can come up with is the more negative phrase "you wouldn't know a good thing if it hit you in the face".

But for horses ... if anything - right between the eyes and right in front of them is one place where a horse CAN'T see, making the phrase that much weirder to me.

Would love to know how it came to be and what makes it make sense.

[BarchCapper]

Another thing that hits horses "right between the eyes" is kickback. Most horses don't like that either.

I hope someone out there can make sense of this phrase for me!

[PaceAdvantage]

It's a phrase that is used with humans as well...so it just got carried over? I don't know what to tell ya...

[BarchCapper]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

It's a phrase that is used with humans as well...so it just got carried over? I don't know what to tell ya...

I know - I find that to be more of a something became suddenly obvious to a person sense.

That would work if the horse decided to enter itself (at a distance, on the turf, etc.).

Meanwhile I keep picturing Anton Chigur at work in "No Country for Old Men" ...

Maybe I'm reaching the age when I'd benefit from that treatment ...

[mountainman]

Originally Posted by BarchCapper

Can anyone tell me the origin of the POSITIVE handicapping/evaluation phrase: "_____ should hit this horse right between the eyes" ?

I hear it SO often nowadays and don't remember it from my pre-2005 racing life.

It holds such a negative connotation for me - prior to having an injectable euthanasia solution, shooting a horse slightly above but between the eyes was a preferred method of putting a horse down. Still likely very common when the vet isn't available/too expensive:

"If you choose to use a firearm, the preferred method is by a rifle shot using the frontal method. The ideal site is slightly above (1cm) the intersection of two imaginary lines drawn from the eye to the opposite ear."

In our reasonably (sometimes overly) sensitive times - I'm surprised that any term involving "hitting" has traction to begin with, but this one continually surprises me with its widespread use.

The closest correlation I can come up with is the more negative phrase "you wouldn't know a good thing if it hit you in the face".

But for horses ... if anything - right between the eyes and right in front of them is one place where a horse CAN'T see, making the phrase that much weirder to me.

Would love to know how it came to be and what makes it make sense.

good post...I have used that phrase, and INSTANTLY regretted it because of the negative connotation......these days, I strive to avoid it...……….on a broader note, when doing tv, it's NEVER the truly dangerous expressions that land you in hot water..but instead, it's always something innocuous that you never imagined could offend someone...…………….and sometimes, super-eager for a gotcha moment, my critics will simply INVENT something I supposedly said.....

[cj]

Originally Posted by mountainman

good post...I have used that phrase, and INSTANTLY regretted it because of the negative connotation......these days, I strive to avoid it...……….on a broader note, when doing tv, it's NEVER the truly dangerous expressions that land you in hot water..but instead, it's always something innocuous that you never imagined could offend someone...…………….and sometimes, super-eager for a gotcha moment, my critics will simply INVENT something I supposedly said.....

The Thunder TV announcer since inception (until the past two years) was fired for saying Russell Westbrook, who was on fire on the court at the time, was "out of his cotton picking mind." I grew up hearing the phrase all the time in Maryland, coincidentally where the announcer Brian Davis was from, and never had any idea it was considered racist. I mean if you think about it you can figure out why, but it wasn't used that way at all and cost the man his dream job.

[Tom]

"Cotton-pickin' mind" was a familiar term of my youth in the 50s.
Never knew what it meant, much like "ever-lovin' mind."

[The_Turf_Monster]

Well they have to say something about every horse and what they’re saying there is that the horse can’t compete at that level and/or is disinterested in racing so when all else fails, do something stupid so you can say you’ve tried everything

[Zydeco]

Originally Posted by Tom

"Cotton-pickin' mind" was a familiar term of my youth in the 50s.
Never knew what it meant, much like "ever-lovin' mind."

My Grand father used to tell me.."Keep your cotton picking fingers off the gin"

Took me awhile...lol

[BarchCapper]

Originally Posted by mountainman

…………….and sometimes, super-eager for a gotcha moment, my critics will simply INVENT something I supposedly said.....

That kind of thing happens all the time - I'm a Lutheran pastor, I preach from a manuscript, and I was often amazed by what people would tell me they heard in the sermon (in our pre-COVID times when you could greet and interact at the door after the service). And most of those were "good intent" inventions on their part!

[JustRalph]

I’ve heard cotton pickin mind my whole life. Never thought about it for a second.

I thought I heard it all when that kid at ESPN got fired for saying Jeremy Lin had a “chink” in his armor

[mountainman]

Originally Posted by cj

The Thunder TV announcer since inception (until the past two years) was fired for saying Russell Westbrook, who was on fire on the court at the time, was "out of his cotton picking mind." I grew up hearing the phrase all the time in Maryland, coincidentally where the announcer Brian Davis was from, and never had any idea it was considered racist. I mean if you think about it you can figure out why, but it wasn't used that way at all and cost the man his dream job.

I would like to recount some of my inadvertent slips. But my mind is screaming "Danger, will robinson..DANGER!!!!!!"