Claudia Beckford asked:


One of American’s finest thoroughbreds - Curlin – last year’s Breeder’s Cup winner will make his first start of 2008 in the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse Dubai Cup on March 29th, stated his majority owner Jess Jackson.

“We feel the best thing to do for Curlin is to take him to Dubai and point him to the (Dubai) World Cup,” Jackson said during a February 3rd release. “We weighed the pros and cons of taking him overseas or kicking off 2008 in the United States. So as long as he’s fit and healthy, it comes down to the fact that Curlin has earned the chance to compete in the Dubai World Cup and has the opportunity to continue making history as an international champion”.
Curlin has been trained by Steve Asmussen; and it finished his three year old season with earnings of $5.102.800 from a record of 6-1-2 from nine starts. Asmussen said that the idea is to put Curlin to compete in a race for $175,000 for 2,000 meters, which is the same distance as in the World Cup. Hopefully this will prepare him for the big race. “I love the month between (the prep and the World Cup), the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” Asmussen said. “The quarantine stuff will be out of the way, and he will have a month to get ready.

The horse likes to know where he’s at. The second time he ran at Belmont was better than the first; the second time he ran at Monmouth was better than the first. And I believe if it’s in black and white like that, it’s true.”The plan is to have everything ready and to arrive in Dubai on February the 16th. Trainer Asmussen also wants Curlin to have another workout at Fair Grounds. The plans for the colt after the World Cup will not be di closed until after the trip.

“I deeply care about improving the state of thoroughbred racing as well as the horse industry in general,” Jackson said. “We, as the owners of Curlin, are trying to do our part to help. Fellow owners and I have joined others in the industry in a broad-based nationwide effort to elevate the industry in a variety of ways, and this campaign is one of the more visible.”



DARREN

Jason Atherton asked:


The Epsom Derby is one of the best known Horse Races anywhere in the World. It is a Group One race and is one of the three Classics that make up a pattern of exceptional races for Three Year horses and whilst it is open to horses from around the World, it is the best horses from Europe that contest the race.

The race itself is a fascinating spectacle and is always a hugely popular betting event, given its coverage and prestige, together with it being a very competitive betting event, with many top quality horses contesting.
Betting for the 2009 renewal of The Derby was further complicated after the running of the Dante Stakes at York on May 14th. Black Bear Island, ridden by Colm O’Donoghue won the race after coming from last to first in the final 2 furlongs to deny stable companion Freemantle on the line. It was a good win in what was thought to have been a top quality field, but bookmakers did not go over the top with quotes generally for Black Bear Island to win the Derby as he is from the stable of race favourite Fame and Glory.

The Dante was yet another one-two for Aidan O’Brien and his all-conquering Ballydoyle stable and it is little wonder why he has 60% of the top ten runners in the Derby antepost betting market.

At this stage it is not sure how many O’Brien will run in the colts Classic at Epsom on 6th June, but however many it is, it does look like his Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner; Fame and Glory will be his spearhead. Fame And Glory looked very impressive when winning that race and the word is that stable lead jockey; Johnny Murtagh has already elected to ride him at Epsom. Fame And Glory is clear favourite for the Derby.

It had been hoped that The Dante Stakes would have produced a non-O’Brien winner, mainly because it would have broadened the antepost market from a two horse to perhaps a three horse race. Those hopes, albeit now seemingly forlorn, rested on the talent of original Derby favourite, Crowded House, but he flopped badly in the race finishing 8th of 10 clearly unable to quicken when needed.

Brian Meehan, trainer of Crowded House put a brave face on proceedings and suggested that he will come on for that run and that he will still be at Epsom.

The 2000 Guineas winner, Sea The Stars, trained in Ireland by John Oxx is the other principle in the antepost market, and he is fancied to complete the colts classic double. He was hugely impressive when winning at Newmarket, delighting his trainer in the process, who said after the race that his horse will get the Derby distance and will improve significantly between races.

Currently eight of the top ten in the Derby market are trained in Ireland, only Crowded House and the Sir Michael Stoute trained, Harbinger offer an alternative but neither can be said to have realistic claims to win the race. The odds very much favour another Irish success and some bookmakers are even daring to suggest a Ballydoyle one-two-three. Could that be really possible in the Epsom Derby?



GARY

Delrick Mckay asked:


Tipsters always focus on the horse’s stats in prior races to make horse racing tips. Rarely do they consider the skills of the trainer and the jockey in their predictions. Here are some reasons why you should not make the same mistake.

Get To Know The Top Trainers

You can either read daily racing forms or go to the race tracks to know who are the best horse trainers. Because of their numerous victories, their high earnings and excellent track records will easily compel you to bet on the horses that they have trained. The best trainers make sure that their horses are ready for any particular race. They understand that the horse should make money as well as place high in the race. Because of inexperienced horses, expert trainers may lose some races. Do not be discouraged when this happens. Some horses may need to run a few races before they can actually reach their potentials.

Steer Clear Of Trainers Who Love Their Horses Too Much

A trainer can fall head over heels with his horse! You may not believe it, but it happens sometimes. Horse training is never easy for both the trainer and his horse. Sometimes trainers may have to test their horse’s limits to prepare them well for a race. Some may be too kind and tolerant with their horses. They might feel that their expectations are too high, so they shift to other strategies to make things easy for the horse. When a trainer is too emotionally attached to their horses, he rarely wins. Consider that the next time you study horse racing tips.

Get Acquainted With The Jockeys

If you have the chance to go to the tracks to meet the jockeys, do so. Jockeys, especially veteran ones, know the race tracks well. Experience has taught them how to steer their horses according to a track’s nooks and crannies. When you study your horse racing tips, find the jockey which has the most number of races for that particular track. Chances are, he can navigate his horse better than the rest. Jockeys, like horses, prefer some tracks than most. It would be wise to include this in your handicaps.

The Horse Will Always Be The Bottomline

The trainer is responsible for entering the horse into a particular race and class. The jockey is there to guide the horse to victory. Still, the two can only do what they can. When the starting gun fires, everything is up to the horse. No effective training regimen can make up for an unfit horse. As you study horse racing tips or when you make bets online, always prioritize the horse’s skill, but never undermine the impact of a good trainer and a shrewd jockey.

Because tipsters have to consider factors such as weather conditions, race track characteristics, and horses’ performance, they tend to exclude the trainer’s skill and the jockey’s aptitude in their horse racing tips. It is a still win-win situation if you do the contrary.



FRANCISCO

Michael Keenan asked:


If you don’t want to win on horse racing, here are some of the important factors NOT to take into consideration.

Don’t factor in the condition of the track surface when making your selection.

The condition of a racetracks surface is one of the most important key elements that always needs to be taken into consideration in every race. If your selection does not normally handle a particular racing track surface e.g. slow, heavy, good etc. The chances are, that it won’t handle it again. Occasionally this is not always correct, but most times it is. So it is always wise to simply ignore that particular race selection and just move onto another, so as to limit any possible risk. The concept of ‘risk limitation’ absolutely highlights the real difference between a gambler and a professional. The gambler simply gambles and the professional considers all the factors that weigh the chances of winning, more greatly into there own favor.

Don’t check if the jockey has swapped from your selection to ride another horse in the same race.

A very much forgotten factor in horse racing. If a jockey re-rides a mount then its real chances of running well, may well be increased. Why? Simply because that mount may be one that’s worth re-riding. If a jockey changes mounts in a race to another runner, than obviously that runner may represent a better chance of running well. You would be surprised by just how well many of these type of runners perform, by putting this simple very much overlooked factor into action. Watch a race meeting for yourself, use this method and map the results, you may be really surprised.

Don’t check if your selection is suited to a particular race’s distance.

An ultimate mistake. You always need to check if your selection is best suited towards the particular distance of the race it is going to run in. Has your selection won at this distance before? Is your selection working towards this distance or is your selection breed for this distance. Misjudging the distance factor will always cost you.

Don’t check the handicap weight that your selection has been given.

A horse is handicapped for 1 reason only and that is to make every runner run (in theory) with a somewhat equal chance of winning in a race. So you will need to make a real decision about wether your runner can handle the weight it is given, in a comparison to all the runners in a race. For example, is your runner giving to much weight away to another runner, thus putting that other runner into a possible better winning weight position than your own selection.

Don’t check your selections starting barrier position.

Barriers are an absolutely important factor in every race. The running position of any horse during a race, will most times determine the ultimate result of the race. Position is everything in racing. As location, location, location, is within real estate.

Don’t check if your horse is being set for a particular race. For example, is the race it is entered for a possible or certain lead-up race for another event.

Always consider this factor if it is at all possible. Is your horse being set for a particular race? Is the current race it is about to compete in, a lead up race? If it is you may be best advised to just watch this selection run.

Don’t check the form of the other runners in a race, so that you can gain some idea of the way the race will be run.

How is the pace of the race going to be played out? For example, is your horse a

back-marker that works home well? If so, you will want there to be a real pacemaker in the race, running quick sectional times, giving your selection a real chance to work home well. If the speed is going to be slow up-front, your runner will obviously have a lower chance of being able to work home as well.

Don’t check the condition and behavior of your selection in the mounting yard before a race.

This can be a hard factor to take into consideration, especially if you are a thousand miles from the racetrack where your selection is running. If this is the case, it would be wise to for example, listen to the track commentary for any pre-race talk about the behavior and/or possible condition of your runner. For example. Is your horse sweating up? Is your horse carrying a bit of extra weight etc? This method is not always completely accurate, simply because your are relying on second hand information. It is always better, if at all possible, to be present at a particular track so that you can make your own value judgement on the condition and behavior of your selection. These factors can be a valuable guide to your selections chances of performing well at its full capability.

Don’t check out the flow of money. Is it for or away from your selection?

The flow of money, especially surrounding big stables, will always give you a reasonable idea of how your runner will perform. For smaller stables, word of mouth about a particular runners chances, always gets around and again you will be able to gage your chances fairly. Generally however in my experience overall, the flow of money is not a gigantic absolute deciding factor in any horses chances of winning. Especially in current times, where for example TV tipster coverage etc has such a huge home audience following. One TV tipster comment can bring-in or blow-out the odds of any runner.

Don’t shop around for the best possible backing price for your race selection.

Why shouldn’t get the best price for your money? Why would you take 10-1 when you can get 11-1? It is simply common sense. Getting the best value price on your selection is the real key to winning. It doesn’t matter if you gain your best price on the tote or from a bookmaker. As long as you get the right price, because then you will simply get the best return possible if your selection wins. And the right price ultimately determines the difference between how much you can possibly win and how much you can possibly lose.

A final summary.

There are a lot of extremely different factors that need to be really considered within any horse race. It is all about using the concept of ‘risk limitation’. If you simply limit your risks, you will then have a more possible chance of winning and therefore obviously a lesser chance of losing. But ultimately it all comes down to one word, chance. Remember there is no horse race that has ever been run, that had a horse competing in it, that was an absolute certainty. There are just too many variables that really come into play and we have only just touched the surface on a few of them here. So it is always absolutely important to remember that skilled gambling, no matter what its form, is always about the concept of limiting any ‘possible risks’, because it is absolutely guaranteed you will never-ever-eliminate all of the possible risks involved. This is simply why they call it ‘gambling’ and not ‘certainty’.

Article Copyright (2008) Mike Keenan of www.horseracinginaustralia.com



PETER

Bayrd Macrae asked:


When the galloping thoroughbreds speed by at 40 miles per hour, you won’t be able to recognize the horses you’ve spent your free bets on, but you’ll be able to make out the bright colored silks of the jockeys. Those silk colors sailing in the wind will tell you if you’ll make or break it.

The Royal Silks

The sea of vibrant silks adds to the pomp and pageantry of horse racing. Without those colors, punters, horse trainers and owners, and judges won’t be able to distinguish the riders and horses, and the race won’t be thrilling at all. For punters, it would be like betting blind with their free bets.

The tradition of using colorful jerseys for horse racing is a throwback to the times of Roman chariot racing when charioteers donned colorful capes to be easily spotted or identified by the spectators. For horse racing, it was later in the 17th century when more horses signed up for the races that the English Jockey Club demanded horse owners and jockeys to submit their colors.

Since that time, the racing silks continued to color the tracks and fly at tantalizing speeds. The English Jockey Club chiefs can track the jockeys and their mounts, and you can easily spot your jockeys on the horses you’ve chanced your free bets and horse racing tips on.

Silks Everywhere

Horse racing enthusiasts who live for the action at the racetracks outside the UK and USA - South Africa, Ireland, Australia, Singapore, and Dubai (just to mention a few) - can tell from a distance which jockey got the better horses, and they can start handicapping the jockeys and horses. They know more information beyond the silks - the jockeys’ weights and track records.

The jockeys, many of them have cut their teeth on the tough horse racing courses, made it to top with record victories. They are easily identified in their orange, purple, red, blue, pink, and color combo shirts and head gear; and they sure look stylish in their colorful get-up.

The jockeys are ranked according to the top 10 in money and are wooed to ride the elite of horses in the fat purse races. For just two to three minutes on the tracks, fortunes rise and fall, and many free bets have made it to the big time, while jockeys made themselves richer by risking their lives and limbs in each race.

Silks, sleek horses, thundering hooves, and free bets - together they make horse racing an exciting spectator sport. That is if you know how to make sense of the different types of bets to make a killing at the races.

The Adrenalin Pumping Races

When the horses are sweating at the starting gates, ready to fly down the track, the smoldering excitement only breaks loose when the horses are released from the gates. The sudden rush of horses, thundering hooves, and the roar of the crowd drown the silent prayers of punters hoping to make their day.

Wagers hang in the balance during the horse race, be it bets to lay, to place, to show, exacta, quiniela, or perfecta. It’s the thought of winning that makes the sports a thrilling favorite. And unless you know what all the bets mean, you’ll never make heads or tails of what makes real money in horse racing.

But for the love and excitement of the game, more people are hurrying to the booking offices and online tipster sites to get tips, free bets, and other horse racing freebies. Indeed, the carnival that is horse racing is here to stay.



ASHLEY

Simon Moyes asked:


Everyone talks about the dangers open to the horses in a Grand National but rarely does anyone mention the men who mount them - the poor jockeys.

AOL Sport sought the views of leading orthopaedic surgeon, Simon Moyes, who has treated many jockeys in his career, on the dangers a top jockey will face.

Moyes, who has owned a racehorse himself said: “Being a jockey is a high risk profession. There is an extraordinary amount of skill required; a combination of the position of the jockey whilst racing, the speed of the race horse, the manoeuvres during the race and the enormous jumps pre dispose the jockey to major trauma.

“The most common injuries that jockey’s sustain (19%) are to the head and neck followed by the lower leg (15%), foot and ankle (10%), lower back (10%) and the arm and hand (10%).

“Steeple chasing, in particular the Grand National, in my opinion produce a higher rate than normal of upper limb injuries such as fractures of the collar bone and the rest of the shoulder girdle.

“Jockeys in my experience have an extremely high pain threshold and rehabilitate and recover from such injuries much faster than the normal population. I personally wish all the jockey’s well for Saturdays great race at Aintree.”

Simon Moyes operates out of the Wellington hospital in St John’s Wood and his website can be found here Simon Moyes. The good news for Tony Dobbin is that he will be fit to ride in Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National after all.

AOL SPORTS, 13TH APRIL 2007



TOM

Paul Eddison asked:


January 28th 2009 saw the announcement of the first wave of horses to be entered into the 2009 Aintree Grand National. Despite a number of trainers and owners recently expressing concern over the cost of horse racing in this economic climate, a bumper 123 horses have been registered for the big race.

‘This is a really positive outcome for this year’s race’ said Paul Eddison of www.grand-national.me.uk. ‘We had anticipated a more conservative number given the cost involved but obviously the prestige of the race and the record jackpot on offer this year has made it more palatable for the trainers and owners’.

A significant number of horses are registered every year at this time and over the course of the net few months the numbers will be whittled down to approx. 40 starters, though some races have started with less.

One of the more noteworthy ways in which the figures will be reduced is with the announcement of the weights for the horses, which will happen on February 10th 2009.

‘Though the purpose of this is to level out the playing field, I can’t help but think that some of the more well known horses, such as Denman, will end up carrying weights so heavy that their chances of winning will be severely hampered’ said Paul Eddison.

‘You have to remember that Hedgehunter became the first winner since Corbiere to carry over 11st to victory so if the powers that be go overboard with the weights on the likes of Comply or Die (2008 winner) or King John’s Castle (2008 Runner-Up) we could be in for a very interesting race’.

For those who study form, the weights attributed to each of the horses will have a major impact given the parameters within which most Grand National winners cross the line to victory. It is one of the most important elements in the run-up to the big race and will no doubt be analysed in great detail when they are announced next week.

The current list of entrants hail from a wide and varied number of countries including Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, New Zealand and the USA. Unsurprisingly, 62 of the horses entered are Irish, accounting for nearly half of all registered, which is why historically Irish horses have done so well - the more you enter the better the chances of one of them winning!

Rather remarkably, nearly 25% of the horses, 33 of them, are French, which is quite a large contingent so early on in the process of selection. Traditionally, French horses have not faired very well in the Grand National and over the last 10 years have, at best, finished in fifth place but with such a large number this year we may see an upsurge in overall performance.

Of course that will depend entirely on which of them make the starting line-up, the weights they are given and the jockeys who ride them on the day.

Overall the list of entrants didn’t hold too many surprises, a good variety of countries represented, a couple of dark horses (excuse the pun!) in the mix and definitely one or two to keep an eye on over the next couple of months.

There are the obvious horses that are already being tipped heavily but as we’ve seen over the last number of years, anything can happen at the Grand National. You can study form and consider the best trainers, jockeys and stables but you can’t factor in luck and sometimes that’s all you need on your side!



DANIAL