Nice method
I tend to wait until I get a couple of ‘hates equipment’ from the same jockey. Sometimes I think it’s a fluke, like maybe the girth was bugging the horse or a wrap was itchy. I just laugh when a horse not wearing equipment hates equipment. Thankfully, someone said the horse hates the LACK of equipment.
Every time I sell a horse they go on to win for the new owner fickle ponies
Looks like this jockey can’t make up her mind… I got these comments recently:
11/25/19 M. Fink Lointaine seems to like running off the pace.
11/24/19 M. Fink Lointaine seems to like running on the lead.
11/23/19 M. Fink I know Lointaine like the back of my hand.
She already said that she knows this horse “like the back of her hand” many times before, and that they get along well (or OK), so should really know her by now…
To be fair, both statements might be right. The pony doesn’t necessarily need to have a strong favourite running style.
I just changed her to “let the jockey decide”
Got one today that I’ve not seen before:
“Smaug was unresponsive.”
This is a 2yo filly (June baby) who had a minor injury in training earlier in the year so has been at the farm since June, possibly longer, before coming back into training about three weeks ago. She’s currently unraced and most recent training comments have said she seems tired, ran out of steam or seems out of shape. She’s mostly been doing walk and jog sessions up to a mile in total. I’m thinking she’s probably immature and needs to go back to the farm. Would anyone agree with that assumption?
Was it three weeks in a row, daily training? Maybe she’s just had too much. I think I’ve had this comment when Natural Energy dropped due to too much training or racing.
She did her first session on the 21st of November and got the “has lots of energy comment” then she’s been on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday schedule (I think the first one she did was a Saturday and I have my generic schedule set to 1/2 mile walk on Monday, 1/2 mile walk and 1/2 mile jog on Wednesday, 1/2 mile each of walk, jog and canter on Saturday) and all comments have been pretty negative. I think she might just be a bit backward as she’s been getting fat at the farm since May so had a really long rest. She’s had 7 workouts since coming back into training and she had 7 workouts in May leading up to the injury (swelling). Interestingly, most of her May workouts were positive ones - 2 X has lots of energy, 1 X raring to go mentally and a couple of dislikes equipment and a “sorry, don’t know her well” one.
I would probably race her if she’s A/A and see comments after that. But, I have my worst OTB percentage ever this year and I think it’s because of too much training generally. I’m now trying to train them less, especially that it was taking forever to find the right jockey and get him/her to really know the horse. And I only have one horse, Rodrigo Borgia, who got this comment: “Rodrigo Borgia and I get along great!”. The first time the jockey said this was 08/20/19 and since then the horse is always 3rd, 2nd or 1st, and before he was always off the board. Also, maybe the jockey doesn’t like the horse but hasn’t told you yet because this also happened to me sometimes - several negative comments and then the jockey says “X and I don’t get along at all”.