Horse Race Results – Where to Find Them and What to Look For

Race Results

If you’re not sitting in a seat at the track watching your race, you’ll want to be able to find horse race results quickly once your race is over. Unless you’ve bet on a Triple Crown race or a similarly high-profile event, the chances of watching your horse run on television are slim to none. Knowing where to find race results is an integral part of the game, whether you’re betting on a favorite or watching the results of a horse you own a share in.

Individual Outcomes

For general daily racing headlines, ESPN can be a great resource. Sites like this one will give you big news and general information in an easy-to-digest format and are perfect for the casual racing fan.

Equibase Company, the “Official Site” for Thoroughbred racing information, offers more detailed information and statistics, still in a fairly manageable format for the novice racing fan. Equibase is a good middle ground for checking headlines or searching individual race outcomes.

Daily Racing Form, arguably the most trusted name in Thoroughbred racing, offers online race results here. This site is probably the most detailed and can give you all the stats on each race that are later compiled to make up the Daily Racing Form. Their information on each race, by track, includes the distance; the type of race and age requirements or other limitations; the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place finishers (win, place, and show) and the amounts they paid out; the winners’ jockeys, trainers, and owners; and race times in 5ths and 100ths. The fine print lists the “also rans” and amounts paid on bets other than win/place/show.

Daily Racing Forms

The Daily Racing Form itself is a compilation of information on horses’ past performance in multiple races. The Daily Racing Form, or DRF, offers stats and information on horses’ past performance, jockeys, trainers, and recent starts. It can be difficult to get a handle on the “language” of the Daily Racing Form. To the uninitiated, a first look at the DRF yields only a tangle of unmanageable numbers. The racing form is the equivalent of all of a player’s stats in baseball or basketball, crammed onto a single page. This page is the handicapper’s Bible in Thoroughbred racing, allowing bettors to make educated guesses based on past performance (PP) rather than throwing darts in the dark.

Bets and Handicapping

Have a look at DRF Past Performance data here and DRF.com’s videos here to get a grip on the basics of the Daily Racing Form and its uses. If you want to learn the art of handicapping, or making educated guesses on race outcomes based on past performance and current conditions, the Daily Racing Form is the place to start. Using the facts of past races is the best way to predict future race outcomes. Trainers use these stats to best position their horses to win; bettors use them to handicap; and owners watch them zealously every time their horse runs to keep up to date with fresh outcomes.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Racehorse Sales – Thoroughbred Racing Costs of Ownership

Racehorse Sales - What It Entails Annually

The Yearly Round

Thoroughbred racing and racehorse sales follow annual patterns of purchase, training, and racing. As horses enter their second year and become eligible to race, potential owners begin to take notice. Three and four year olds ratchet up their training and begin to really find their feet in the racing world, and older horses and their trainers engage in the yearly dance of finding the best racing conditions to maximize each horse’s strengths.

Purchase Price

The first cost you’ll need to consider is the actual price of the race horse, which can vary between a couple of thousand and seven figures. Racehorse sales are an intricate game all their own; a horse may be bought at auction, in a private sale between two or more parties, or at a claiming race. A young, untried animal, especially of questionable pedigree, may be far more affordable than a proven champion, but the investment is also much more of a gamble. That high pricetag is one of the main reasons partnership syndicates have become so popular in recent years.

Upkeep Costs

Keeping a horse can be phenomenally expensive, though monthly costs will vary as horses cycle between training at the track and resting on the farm. A horse in training will cost you between $30,000 and $50,000 per year for basic training, veterinary care, farriers fees and transportation.

Racing Costs and the Great Game

In addition to the basic costs of horse ownership, owning a working Thoroughbred entails the added expense of costs associated only with horse racing. These costs include the trainers pay, track fees, and jockey fees. Race horse sales are only the beginning – to obtain a chance at the action for yourself and your horse, you’ve got to buy in to the game. Every professional who interacts with your horse has to make a living; racing is a sophisticated system, carefully honed to be efficient and manageable, but there’s no doubt it’s expensive. Syndicate partnerships are racing’s answer to the pricetag question, bringing the high-roller game to the average dollar buy-in player.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Types of Horse Races and Track Conditions

Types of horse races are run on two different tracks: turf (grass) and dirt not including the newer synthetic tracks. Each type of track is described based on the conditions of the day and the running times they produce. For example:

Dirt track conditions are usually labeled fast; wet-fast; good; slow; muddy; sloppy; heavy; or frozen, according to an article by WetCapper.com. Fast tracks are dry tracks that allow horses to run at their best, resulting in their fastest times. Wet-fast tracks have moisture on the surface, but are still firm enough to produce fast times. Good dirt surfaces are dry or drying but produce slower times than a fast track, and slow surfaces are deep, drying surfaces that still produce slow times. A muddy track is deep and wet, usually produced after a rain. A sloppy track is covered in enough standing water to create splashing when a race is run. A heavy track is very deep and wet, tiring to run on, and produces the slowest times. A frozen track contains frozen moisture and can be extra hard and thus fast, but often slippery and dangerous.

Turf track conditions are labeled firm; good; soft; yielding; or heavy. Firm courses are dry with only a slight give, and yields fast times. A good turf surface has a little more give and moisture but is still relatively firm. Soft turf courses are fairly wet with substantial give but no standing water. Yielding courses are very wet and deep, producing slow times; heavy courses are waterlogged and very deep, producing the slowest times of all.

Horses that run well under certain conditions may fare poorly in others. In general, horses do best in dry conditions, but wet or unfavorable conditions can make unlikely champions of particularly light or hardy animals. Take, for example, little Mine That Bird, who came from dead last to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby on a sloppy track.

Flat Races

Thoroughbreds can start running at two years of age as juveniles. Colts and fillies (so-called until they reach five years of age, when they become horses/geldings and mares) start in shorter flat races known as dashes and sprints; they’ll run these short courses until around late September of their two-year-old year. Two-year-old horses in these shorter races are still developing and tend to be slower, slimmer and not as strong as older horses. Young horses run as fast as they can for as long as they can and have rarely learned to conserve energy, according to a YouTube video by Today’s Racing Digest.

Longer Derby types of races (for colts and fillies) and Oaks races (for fillies) are limited to three year olds, horses who are still developing and growing quickly, and are new to longer distance racing. By the fourth year horses will spend their lives running in longer flat races, vying for position and status in the world of claiming races, allowance races, stakes races, and graded stakes races. For more information on these terms, have a look at our blog post on “Types of Horse Races – Claiming Races, Allowance Races, Stakes Races and Graded Stakes Races.”

Steeplechases

Steeplechases are longer types of horse races, open only to mature and fully-developed horses, which are run over long distances and various obstacles. These may include hedges and water jumps, and are designed to replicate older courses in which the field raced across the English countryside from one church to another, aiming for a church steeple and crossing all hurdles and obstacles in their path. Steeplechasers tend to be powerful animals, and must be talented jumpers as well as endurance runners. Some horses that do well on flat tracks won’t do well in steeplechases, and vice versa. It is the job of a good trainer to determine a horse’s talents and ensure that he is placed in racing categories that best suit his or her strengths.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Jockey Silks – History and Traditions

Hallowed History

The unmistakable patterning of jockey silks, known as racing silks, is one of the oldest traditions in Thoroughbred racing. A jockey’s racing helmet and saddle blanket are often patterned in the same color and design as the silks. The tradition of using colors to distinguish contestants actually predates the Thoroughbred breed – Roman charioteers may have been the first to use hats and capes of different colors in races, according to an article on SarahMarr.com.

In Thoroughbred racing, the tradition of using silks in different colors dates to 1762, when 19 members of the English Jockey Club registered their colors at Newmarket “for the greater convenience of distinguishing the horses in running,” according to an article on the Belmont Stakes website. The patterns and colors used originally referenced the coats of arms associated with noble English houses. Today, approximately 28,000 silks are registered with the Jockey Club.

Today’s Traditions

The original purpose of jockey silks, to allow observers and judges to distinguish between racers on a far-off track. PA systems, video cameras, and blanket numbers help serve the same functions today. But the classic style of racing silks appeals to the Thoroughbred audience, and the colors of various stables and owners serve almost as a branding tool. To the initiated, the “branding” in racing silks is as obvious as corporate names plastered across the side of a race car, but rendered in a style suitable to the tradition of the Thoroughbred track.

Today’s silks are a mixture of classic style and modern function. Considering the importance of a jockey’s low weight in the racing world, it is absolutely essential that all his or her gear be ultra-lightweight and precision-engineered for racing.

Though originally silk, today the shirts are most often nylon or lycra, and “aerodynamic” racing silks are becoming the new trend as jockeys seek that tiny edge to push their horse over the top to a win. The protective caps (riding helmets) are made of space-age, lightweight protective materials with ventilated cooling technology. The signature high riding boots are classically made in high-quality leather and rubber, but designed to be sleek, lightweight, and to mold perfectly to the rider’s foot and leg. Even the knee-length jodhpur pant is high-tech, designed for the conditions of the day. Summertime pants are usually polyester and wintertime pants are insulated nylon. Riders can even buy “mud pants” designed to keep the rider warm, dry, and at the top of their game in adverse conditions.

The modern racing world is a sleek mixture of age-old tradition and modern technology, where old-school pageantry and muscle meet cutting-edge training methods and sports medicine. Jockey Silks are one of many cases in which tradition and technology merge to create a phenomenon that belongs uniquely to the 21^st Century.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Thoroughbreds: Horses of A Different Color – How Do Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses Differ?

Thoroughbreds: Horses of A Different Color – How Do Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses Differ?

Background

Thoroughbreds (and Thoroughbred racing) came to the Americas with Colonists from the Old World, most notably those from the British Isles. The Quarter Horse is a purely American invention, the result of a cross between English Thoroughbred stock and the Native American Chickasaw breed, and was gaining popularity in America by the 1700s. Both breeds are quick and powerful, precision-engineered through generations of breeding to be world-class athletes. But each breed is best at different “athletic events.”

The Quarter Horse

The Quarter Horse was far-and-away the most common working horse in the American West and has swept the field for generations at Western events such as barrel racing and cattle roping. But it wasn’t until 1940 that the Quarter Horse was recognized as an official breed with the formation of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), now the largest breed registry in the world.

Quarter Horses are fairly short, usually 14 to 15 hands (each hand equals 4 inches), and heavily muscled. The Quarter Horse physique is unmistakable—these are stunningly powerful animals bred for hard work and speed over short distances. Typical Quarter Horse physique includes a small, refined head and defined, well-muscled shoulders and hindquarters. The Quarter Horse, which got its name from an early designation as “The Quarter Miler,” can run a quarter of a mile at speeds a great as 55 miles per hour, but his heavy, tightly muscled frame tires quickly over longer distances. The Quarter Horse is a sprinter at high speeds and a stayer at slower speeds, bred for roping and riding the trail.

The Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred, as a European granddaddy of the Quarter Horse breed, has a much longer pedigree (stretching back to Arabian stallions imported to the British Isles during the years of the Crusades). The breed, along with organized racing, were well-established by the time high-brow colonists brought racing traditions (and breeding stock) with them to the new world. The lighter Thoroughbred stands 15.2 to 17 hands, with a broad, muscular chest. Thoroughbreds are made for speed over longer distances, with a racing heritage that stretches back hundreds of years.

Cowboys and Kings

Quarter Horses are the cowboys of the racing world, and Thoroughbreds the nobility. Stolid Quarter Horses can outstrip Thoroughbreds in sprint races, but fleet Thoroughbreds will win a longer race (almost) every time. Both compete in sprint races, hunt shows, even gymkhana meets. But Thoroughbreds dominate the “professional” racing world, and Quarter Horses the Western circuit. Occasionally, two representatives from these long-lived equine families will meet in a match race of epic proportions. If it’s a sprint race, our money just may be on the Quarter Horse. But for any distance longer than a quarter mile, we’ll place our bets on our beloved Thoroughbreds, horses bred and trained to live and breathe racing.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame Honors the Sport’s Upper Echelon

According to the National Museum and Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame website, “The mission of the Official National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame is to honor the achievements of those horses, jockeys, and trainers whose records and reputations have withstood the difficult test of time.” On Hall of Fame Day 2010, the Hall of Fame included 186 Thoroughbreds, 93 Jockeys, and 88 Trainers. Owners, despite their unique brand of contribution to Thoroughbred racing, do not have a home in the Hall of Fame.

Horses

Hall-of-Fame horses include such greats as Top Flight, Seabiscuit, and Man o’ War. Top Flight, a Tom Healey-trained filly inducted in 1966, beat out Domino’s 39-year standing record for the highest 2-year-old earnings in the business. Seabiscuit, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1958, was a repeated champion who, after an injury at 6 years of age, made a moving comeback at the age of 7 in the Santa Anita Handicap against Kayak II. Man o’ War, widely considered the greatest Thoroughbred who ever lived, set easy records in the Preakness, the Belmont, and the Travers; won the Dwyer Stakes, Stuyvesant Handycap, and Jockey Club Gold Cup; and was retired to stud where he sired a stunning 64 stakes winners.

Trainers

Trainers inducted into the Hall of Fame include legendary horse whisperers like John Rogers, Frank “Pancho” Martin, and M.E. “Buster” Millerick. Rogers had stunning wins in the Preakness and the Belmont with Buddhist, Tanya, Artful, and Burgomaster, among a string of other Thoroughbred champions, and was inducted as part of the Hall of Fame’s “inaugural class” in 1955. “Pancho” Martin, who through 2009 has won “3,284 races and purses totaling $46,881,516,” was the industry’s leading purse winner in 1974, New York’s leading trainer from 1973 to 1982, and has raced multiple champions against such greats as Secretariat. “Buster” Millerick, inducted in 2010, trained West Coast Thoroughbreds for almost 50 years, from 1935 – 1984, winning a total of 1,886 races and training 54 individual stakes winners

Jockeys

Legendary jockeys inducted into the Hall of Fame include such household names as Pat Day and Randy Romero, and historical legend Willie Simms. Pat Day mounted 40,298 Thoroughbred athletes and won 8,803 races between 1973 and 2005, including Hall of Fame inductees Lady’s Secret, Dance Smartly, and Easy Goer and the famous 1992 Kentucky Derby long shot Lil E. Tee. Randy Romero won riding titles at 10 separate tracks including Arlington and Belmont, won Breeder’s Cups on the legendary fillies Go for Wand and Personal Ensign, and rode 4,294 winners out of 26,091 mounts in the years 1973 to 1999. Willie Simms, who rode from 1887 to 1901, had Belmont, Preakness, and Kentucky Derby wins on different mounts, and led all American Jockey’s in wins the year 1894 with an unprecedented 33% win record. Jockeys with these talents and credentials make racing possible, connecting the indefatigable strength of a Thoroughbred champion with the know-how of a world-class trainer to create a racing powerhouse.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Physiology of a Thoroughbred

Physiology of a Thoroughbred: Top 5 Aspects of picking Winner

Picking a winner is both an art and a science, one that we at Blinkers On strive to perfect. It’s a mix of physiology and physiology of a thoroughbred, a skill passed down through horse-loving families generation after generation. The process is notoriously inexact – just ask anyone who bet against Mine That Bird, the gangly little long-shot that won the 2009 Kentucky Derby!

There are a few internal bits of the Thoroughbred racing machine that you just can’t see. A horse’s heart is as big physically as it is metaphorically. The average is about 16 to 18 pounds, but Triple Crown winner Secretariat’s weighed a stunning 22 pounds! A horse’s large spleen is also a central part of its adaptation to running – the spleen stores oxygen-rich blood and releases it as a horse gets up to speed, literally thickening the blood and upping its oxygen supply.

But since you can’t take a horse apart at the saddling paddock, let’s concentrate on what you can see.

Parts of a Horse

Horses are made to run, and each part of their physiognomy is a marvel of genetics and breeding. So, from top to tail:

The horse’s nose and neck are long and broad, funneling large quantities of oxygen into the body. The shoulders and withers (top of the shoulders) are broad and well-muscled, the body long, broad, and barrel-chested to enclose large lungs, that big heart, and the precisely adapted spleen. The back and hocks are finely muscled for control and balance, the rump and stifle thickly muscled for power and speed.

A horse’s legs are stunning, living examples of precision engineering. According to a 2006 press release by the American Physiological Society, to approximate the force a horse’s legs take when they hit the ground in full stride, a human would have to balance on one finger!

To talk about a horse’s legs the layperson needs a dictionary (or at least a good source) – the portion of the leg just above the hoof is the pastern, which connects to the ankle. The longbone in the lower leg is the cannon. In front, the muscular forearm rises above the cannon, with the knee joint between and the broad shoulder above. In the rear, the hock connects the cannon to the gaskin, or upper leg, above which rises the flank and rump. For maximum stability and power, a Thoroughbred’s knee should sit squarely over the cannon when viewed from any direction, and the slope of the shoulder and the pastern should follow about a 45-degree angle.

Selecting the Horse for Your Wager: The Top 5 Indicators

1. Watch a horse’s eyes. Look for an animal with a bright, calm, interested gaze. Rolling or darting eyes can indicate excessive anxiety, while lazy or dull eyes can indicate a lack of interest and a horse that’s not “on”.
2. Check for white foam between the back legs and behind the saddle pad. “Fizzy,” nervous horses can be keyed up before and during races, wasting precious physical resources on anxiety instead of speed. This foam is known as “kidney sweat” and can indicate a horse that’s frightened or angry instead of ready to race.
3. Look out for “washing out.” If a horse is covered in sweat, especially in cooler temperatures, you may be looking at a frightened or anxious animal that’s too keyed up to focus on the race. In hot temperatures a horse may break an honest sweat before the race begins, but if the day is mild and your choice looks like he’s already run a couple furlongs, take your money elsewhere.
4. Watch the ears. A horse’s ears can help identify whether the animal is “sharp,” alert, and ready to race, or whether he’s anxious or frightened (in which case the race is lost before it’s begun). A horse that’s sharp and alert may sweat or fight, but his ears will remain pricked and upright. A frightened or scared horse will have ears “pinned,” pressed back against the head.
5. Put it all together. A horse can be the perfect racing machine, but if he wastes all his reserves fighting his handlers and his jockey, he probably won’t blow the others away. A “sharp” horse may sweat, dance on his toes, even push his handlers, but his demeanor will be eager, his ears pricked, his neck arched – playful rather than fractious. An angry or frightened horse, awash with sweat, showing flattened ears, is a different beast altogether. The former can carry you all the way to the bank. The latter will sell you short every time.

Visit the paddock before placing your bets every chance you get. Watch your horse from top to tail and get a feel for his body language. If he’s engaged, awake, ready to go – but not a keyed up bundle of nerves – your chances increase exponentially.

If, on the other hand, he’s washing out, fizzy, and shows those rolling eyes and flattened ears, think again. Keep in mind, these horses can sometimes blow the competition away. But when your money’s involved, make sure to bet on a horse that’s likely to win.

Remember the kid’s song? “Head, shoulders, knees and toes…” There’s a little bit of ageless wisdom there. Hum a little tune to yourself and you may up your chances of choosing a winner. But remember… even the exercise physiologists who study physiology of a thoroughbred horses can’t pick a winner every time.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Horse Racing Triple Crown and Thoroughbred Racing History

The American Horse Racing Triple Crown has a background as long and complex as the country itself. Since the first American racetrack was laid in Long Island, N.Y., circa 1665, America’s racing culture has been influenced by, but developed independently of, English Thoroughbred racing.

The English Triple Crown

Modern horse racing originated in the British Isles in the 12th century, when knights brought fleet Arabian horses home following the crusades. Horse owners began matching two Arabians against one another in road or cross-country races, a tradition that blossomed during Queen Anne’s reign (AD 1702-1714) into the operation of larger races at organized racetracks.

By 1814, five English staked races for 3-year-olds were designated as “classics” – the best of the best. In 1853, West Australian walked away with wins in three of those races – the first horse ever to claim such a feat – and the horse racing Triple Crown award was born. From that day to this, the three races in the English Triple Crown have been the “The Derby,” also known as the 2000 Guineas Stakes, the Epsom Stakes, and the St. Leger Stakes. The Triple Crown is also awarded, less commonly, to fillies who win the Derby, the St. Leger, and the 1000 Guineas (the latter is for fillies only).

Thoroughbred Racing Pedigrees

Thoroughbred lineage can be traced back to one of three sires, imported to England by noblemen of the 1600s and 1700s. The first of these was the Byerly Turk, imported by a “Captain Byerly” in 1689. The second, imported by Thomas Darley from Syria in 1704, was known as the Darley Arabian. The third, the Godolfin Arabian, was foaled in Yemen in 1724 and, through a series of murky events that survive only as legend, found his way through France and into the hands of Edward Coke, who brought him home to his stables at Longford Hall in Derbyshire.

Some think these three sires were bred to “native sprinting mares – most probably Scottish Galloways.” However, according to James Penn Boucaut in his 1905 book The Arab, The Byerly Turk was bred to The Royal Mares, Arabian stock imported by King Charles. It’s probable that crosses were attempted with both local and imported stock; it’s impossible to know for sure since the first Stud Book wasn’t published until 1891.

In any case, the Darley Arabian and the Godolfin Arabian were both bred to Royal Mares, daughters of the original Royal Mares and the Byerly Turk. Thus began the three lines of breeding stock to which all modern Thoroughbreds can be traced.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Derby Attire – A Style and History

Derby Attire – A Style and History

From early match races between nobility to the modern track races among the masses, elegance and high fashion have juxtaposed themselves against the dust and sweat of the track.

Racing History

The origins of horse racing are lost in the mists of time. Since the earliest domestication of horses by tribesmen of Central Asia around 4500 B.C., racing has been a sport of kings. The origins of today’s style of racing began in the 12th century, when English knights brought light, fast Arabian horses home from the Crusades. From the first match races among the little Arabians to the professional thoroughbred racetracksof the early 1700s, the nobility celebrated power of the horse alongside the posh pleasure of “betting on the ponies.”

High Society and Fashion

This pastime of the nobles inherited all the social and political circumstances of its devotees and competitors. Races were social events in which style, etiquette, and political jockeying were as much a part of the festivities as the jockeying on the track. When English settlers brought thoroughbred racing to the United States and built an American version of the British Triple Crown, the traditions of high society substance and style came along for the ride.

Rubbing Elbows

Through the creation of a nation and the changing fashions of 300 years, American racing spectators have been a variable mix of rich and poor, the haves and the have-nots. The have-nots come in the hopes of that long-shot win that could change their fortunes. The haves come with the background and passion of hunt clubs and family histories. Each came – and still come – dressed in their best. It’s been this way since the laying of the first track in Long Island, N.Y., around 1665, and high-style “race day” fashions have been a part of the scene since the very beginning.

Dress Codes, Hats, and History

Dress at the track will depend on the area of the stands you’ll inhabit for the day. It’s not unusual for private Turf Clubs to enforce a strict dress code. This code usually requires suits or sport jackets with optional ties for men, and suits, sun dresses, or daytime dresses for women. Jacket and dress patterns are sometimes designed, with admirable loyalty, to mimic a jockey’s racing colors.

Even in less-restricted areas of the grandstands, men and women tend to wear their best warm-weather derby attire in the race day spirit, though ladies’ heels seem to get lower and lower as you move from the high-class boxes to the bleacher seats. In horse racing style, fashion meets practicality. Cotton, linen, and lightweight blends reign supreme in the heat of the day. Though hemlines have expanded and contracted, sundresses have been a staple on race day for decades. And since the earliest days, ladies’ hats have been a fashion focus at the racetrack. From the earliest days of match races among the elite to the modern track races among the masses, noble elegance and high fashion have juxtaposed themselves against the dust and sweat of the track.

Blinkers On

Blinkers On Racing Stable, a leader in thoroughbred horse racing partnerships, brings together the finest in thoroughbred horse racing expertise with the best in business know-how, and above all, a team of people you can trust, to manage your investment. We are committed to helping you experience the joys of thoroughbred horse ownership. For more information on thoroughbred partnerships visit our website or request an information package about our partnership. Keep up with horse racing in California by reading our Blog, finding us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, checking us out on LinkedIn, or visiting our YouTube Channel!

 

Claiming Races – Horses’ Career Path

Claiming Races

Making up almost 70 percent of all horse races in the United States, a claiming race is a race in which each and every horse is entered at a fixed price and can be bought or “claimed” by any licensed owner prior to the start of the race. There are several different price levels of claiming race, ranging anywhere from around $10,000 for low-level horses to over $45,000 for very high-level horses.

Should a licensed owner wish to place a “claim” at the track, they may simply go to the claiming office and fill out a claim form, which must then be dropped into the claim box at least 16 minutes before the start of the race. Upon making a claim, that owner must first deposit sufficient funds to cover both the claiming price and sales tax with the bookkeeper at the track.

At the end of the race, the claim box is opened, and each horse with a claim on it comes under the ownership of the person(s) who put in the claim, even if the horse was injured during the race or performs poorly.  In exchange, the previous owner gets to keep the price for which the horse was entered. The original owner is also awarded any winnings from the race that the horse had won. The new owner is responsible for transporting, horse training and stabling the horse immediately after the end of the claiming race.

If more than a single claim has been placed on a horse, the racing secretary uses a “shake” to determine who actually wins the horse. Normally, the shake involves the use of a “Kelly” bottle that contains numbered pills corresponding to each of the claims made. At the end of the race, the racing secretary draws one of the pills from the bottle to determine the winner. All claimants who did not win the horse are not required to pay, and their money is returned to them.

Purpose of Claiming Races

Because claiming races are established for different price levels, the prices on most horses are the same. This makes the competition and ability of horses nearly equal, and many owners will enter a horse in a claiming race in an effort to get the horse more racing experience while gambling on the fact that no one will claim the horse. Although the claiming process can win you a promising horse that will perform well in the future, it can also be very risky. Oftentimes, an owner who has determined a horse is past its peak will enter that horse into a claiming race with the hopes that someone will make a claim and rid them of a costly non-performer.

Risks of Claiming Races

Horses entered into claiming races are often of low or moderate talent, or older horses that are almost done with their racing careers.  Before claiming a horse, no claimant is allowed to have a veterinarian check for any medical conditions, and prospective bidders must rely on their trainer to get as much information as possible from the evaluation of the horse.  In addition, because ownership is transferred at the start of a race, if the horse that has been claimed is injured during the claiming races; the new owner must pay the purchase price and take ownership of the horse regardless of its condition. The new owner must also have a way to transport the horse after the race is over and is immediately responsible for the horse’s care and boarding.

Rewards of Claiming Races

Although horses that run in claiming races may be of low to moderate talent, some trainers will enter young horses that are just beginning their thoroughbred racing careers to find their true level of ability.  In 1961, a foal named Crazy Kid was claimed for $2750 in a claiming race in Mexico by Paula Hunt.  In 1962, Crazy Kid won the Bing Crosby Handicap race with a world-record time of 1:07 4/5.

In addition, breeders will sometime use claiming races to build breeding stock if a claiming racer appears to have certain abilities that could be passed on to young horses.  There have been instances where claimed horses have gone on to become champions.

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