Questions & Answers

[The Horse Whisperer]

Is this normal I thought meters over 95 locked it has happened a few times this is where they were

Fitness 80% Stamina 100% Endurance 100% Speed 100% Strength 98%


and this is after a full train

Stamina 100% Speed 84% Endurance 100% Strength 87% Fitness 100%

Speed and Strength dropped

This is showing that the horse needs a rest day. Normally they can only take 5 days of continual training/workouts before the meters start behaving erratically. Give it a rest day followed by a 4f lpg then the normal 11f lpg. The meters should return to normal. The reason for the 4f lpg is that SPD may climb into the 95-99 range if you used the usual 11f lpg first up. It varies from horse to horse but to be on the safe side, 4f should only move the meters 4 or 5 points.

[The Horse Whisperer]

Q. Hello was in chat and asked about speed rating and race times. Seems everyone is not sure if a horses time changes depending on the race I,E 2k claimer to a stakes race. Same thing with the speed rating
To me if a horse runs .60 in a race should not matter what the race is called it should run around that time
in all races with taking into account jokey , Trip and other things that can happen but the class of the race should not make a horse faster or slower

A. The Chat Room is providing a great source of questions. I must go in there one day.

I agree with you in essence that a horse running from point A to point B with the same weight, jockey, distance, meters etc. should run close to the same time however, this is not the case as you have pointed out. It appears that a horse returning a blistering time in a mid to low Claimer does not necessarily repeat the same time when in a high Claimer/Alw. My guess and it is only a guess is that the program looks at the class (hidden numbers) of each horse in the race. If a horse has been set perfectly against inferior or poorly set opposition, the program corrects this difference in time usually by breaking/near breaking the track record. Some horses have repeated the effort in higher grades but it is rare.

I know that admin is looking into this.

In the meantime, like most stables, I would give such a horse at least one race against stiffer opposition. If no good, drop it down as you see fit.

[The Horse Whisperer]

Q. I have a horse who won today that I considered scratching as his meters were at STA: 99 STR: 98 SPD: 100 END: 92 FIT: 100 and he won!!!

his two previous races his meters were better than that yet he finished terribly!!!!

WHY????


Without knowing the full details of the horse/race, there can be a lot of factors. Different draw, different jockey, gelding, different distance, different instruction. But where/who says that all your meters have to be high? All the Help Page says is that except for the Fitness meter, the other meters need to be in the green range (85-100) and may vary with different distances... Maybe you hit on the right range for that distance accidentally?

Help Page (section 8)

"...The fitness meter is the single most important meter for your horse. When just beginning with a new horse, it is good to focus on this meter first. The other four meters are meant to be used for fine tuning your horse's racing abilities. While you will not be able to dramatically change your horse's running style, by experimenting with the 4 meters in the green range, you can fine tune your horse for particular distances. For optimum racing performance the fitness meter should be at 100 and the other 4 meters should be in a range that gives your horse it best performance at the distance it is racing."

[The Horse Whisperer]

Q. Why you prefer 5f works?

A. As you work your horses over different distances, you will notice that the program compensates for those changes.

At 5f, it will show you raw speed for 4f/5f/6f i.e. the first 4f will be nearly identical with each add change, the remaining furlong with overall time shows you how the add improves/worsens your horse's ability. If the horse works the first 2f in say, 22.50 further 5f workouts won't be that beneficial because it won't have enough pace to be competitive in 4f/5f/6f races. Low 58s indicate a sprinter.

Working at 6f, can give erroneous results, even though its works may indicate a sprinter or a router, I have found that many times in races it hasn't been that way. I have found the 5f works more accurate regarding the ability of a horse.

If the horse is dead slow at 5f, works at 8f will show us 7f/8f/9f splits. Target is low 1:36s or better. If the horse looks like a closer but is getting high 1:36s or worse then try 11f, which will show you the 10f/11f/12f splits.

The above is how I do my works on push and I adjust my instructions after the horse has raced and I have more informative data. I add that this isn't the only way and there have been far more successful stables than I that have their own criteria when it comes to works but I have had reasonable success. When you're on a good thing... stick to it.

[The Horse Whisperer]

Back after a well deserved vacation

The inbox isn't exactly overflowing with questions. You guys must know what you are doing?

Todays question:

My horse won its first race. It drew 10 of 10 in a 9f Maiden. I had him on push and he went to the front and led by 6 lengths into the stretch and held on to win by 3 lengths. Next start I selected an 8f D-Division race and he drew pole in a 6 horse field. I got the same jockey on push. He led by 2 lengths around the turn but stopped in the run home to finish last. What went wrong?

I assume that his meters were good on his 2nd start. Have a look at his first start again. My guess is that the rest of the field were being held up by 2 or 3 slow horses on the inside which allowed your horse to 'steal' the race. The D-Division race would have attracted stronger opposition who, although did not have the same pace as your horse but were better at closing. I have found that if you draw inside in a higher grade than its last start, slow the horse down a notch or two by changing its instruction to steady at first. This usually forces any challengers to run wide on the turn thereby restricting their closing ability. If he still led by more than 2 lengths and got run over in the home stretch, try relax next time if drawn inside. If drawn outside, go back to push in a big field or jockey decides in a medium sized race.

[The Horse Whisperer]

Q. I have a big race coming up in 3 days. The meters on my horse are:

SPD 87 STA 88 STR 90 END 90 FIT 64

How can I ensure that his meters will be right for the race?

A. When the FIT meter drops instead of increasing, even though the other meters climb, it is telling you that the horse needs a rest day. Therefore your training schedule should be as follows:

Day 1 - Rest the horse.
Day 2 - 11f lpg: this should bring the FIT meter up into the mid 80s with the others at 100 or very close.
Day 3 - 11f lpg: this should bring the FIT meter to 100 with the remaining meters unchanged. Even though it is race day, you can daily train it before the race.
Day 4 - Rest the horse.

Normal daily train can follow after this.

THW

[The Horse Whisperer]

Q. When the race was listed my horse shows its weight as 117 +3. What does the +3 mean?


A. This is telling you that your horse was allocated 114lbs for the race but the jockey you chose/were given minimum weight is 117lbs. Therefore if you choose to stay with this jockey, the horse will carry an extra 3lbs for the race. It would be better if you chose another jockey that has his/her minimum weight 114lbs or less, to gain full benefit of the weight allowance.

This overweight allocation normally occurs in Starter Allowances and Optional Claimers. It is wise to double check your jockey/weight allocation prior to the horse racing so that your horse isn't disadvantaged in running.

THW