Jockeys, the heroes on the horses

The modern day Race Jockey is probably more analysed now than ever before.
Jockeys have to be decisive of what might have gone right or wrong, sometimes on instinct going for a gap through that isn’t there yet one opens up and they pounce on the chance.

There will be periods when riders seemingly can do no wrong and other times when absolutely nothing goes right. Confidence is a key role in this respect, Statistics which show a good current strike rate over the last few days/weeks are always a plus sign as is Racing at a favoured course where the rider is top or close be being the leading rider at the track over the past five years.

Now matter how good the rider, if the horse is not good enough or is in need of a run, there is little chance of success. The jockey will have instructions for the race IF all goes well but basically is staring at a runner ending down the field. A rider may well look out of form judging solely on winners to rides but a look at the quality of recent mounts may tell a different story.
Confidence is a major factor, running down the field with an outsider is one thing, being turned over on a short priced favourite is another.

A blunder at a fence or making a tactical move on the flat that goes wrong, taking a risky inside route or switching outside for a run to the winning post, split second decisions which are magnified in slow motion, some times.

A race jockey works in isolation, the owner and Trainer have a major impact on the fortunes of a rider. But once the gates open or the tape goes up, its down to the Jockey to carry out a pre race plan if possible but also be able improvise if the race is not being run as forecasted by the Owner or Trainer.

·        Look for Jockeys riding for the best stables.
·        Look for a rider to get on well with one particular horse or rides a course particularly well.
·        A rider having bad luck, and is trying to re-establish his reputation.
·        An apprentice riding some winners and starting to be booked for decent rides.
·        A rider challenging for the Jockeys Title.

A jockey can win the Derby yet in the next race finish well down the field, tactics must be right but it’s the horse that brings home the victory, better still an excellent combination of horse and rider getting the very best out of each other to win the day.

For anyone which has been in a horse will know when it isn't right. A top jockey may not work well with a top horse when the chemistry isn't there. Look for such sign when the jockeys are on the horses and look out for both their reaction.

Horse Racing Class System

Most people new to horse racing are usually only familiar with the big races like the Kentucky Derby or Breeders' Cup in USA, Royal Ascot in UK, the Dubai Cup, Krisflyer and SAI Cup in Singapore. These are the pinnacle of racing and the top rung of the class ladder for Thoroughbred race horses. Before a race horse can get to that level, he or she will have started out at a much lower level of competition. To understand where the big horses come from, you need to understand the class system for horse racing.

Why are classes important?
First and foremost all horses are not the same, just as all sports players are not the same. What is class? Class in horse racing is really like levels in other sports. Such as Major League, Minor League, College etc.

Any horse who has yet to win a race is known as a maiden. To win that first race is known as "breaking his/her maiden" and while this is usually done in a maiden race, it can happen in any type of race so an exceptional horse (in skill or luck) may get that first win in an allowance or even stakes race. Just like the races for winners, race for maidens also have several levels of class.

In horse racing, horses move up and down the class ladder to find their spot. For example, a horse may do fine at the $35,000 Maiden so the horse may appear at a higher level next time out. If the horse falters bad, it could be an indication that the horse is outclassed at that level and the horse will come back down. Typically horses move up and down one rung on the ladder at a time. Sometimes horses that are close to being competitive at their current level will come down a bit to snatch up a win.

Understanding the horse racing class system in the can benefit the form or the Systems player. Other factors such as course, distance, going and weight may be in the horses favour but if it is racing in a grade that is too high for it, the horse will be outclassed by speedier animals.

Each race horse will have its optimum level, whether it improves from a lower grade, it will eventually reach a class of race where it simply cannot match the performance of other contestants in the race unless it us the world's top breed.

Others may be highly tried and then be dropped down a level where it can cope with the pace and stamina of its competitors.

Here is a very effective way of obtaining Horse Class Ratings for individual animals that really shows whether they are among the top rated runners in the race.

The UK horse racing class system runs to a scale of 0 to 140lbs. The Malayan Racing class system is also quite similar to this except the rating bands.

Class 1 Group 1
Class 1 Group 2
Class 1 Group 3
Class 1 Listed (include Handicaps)
Class 2 rated 86-110
Class 3 rated 76-95
Class 4 rated 66-75
Class 5 rated 56-65
Class 6 rated 46-55
Class 7 rated 0-45

A review of a horses past performance in the class of race it has contested can be very revealing whether for the form or the system builder.

Here's an example of a profile of the career record of a racehorse.

Class 2 Starts 1 Wins 0 rating 67
Class 3 Starts 4 Wins 0 rating 89
Class 4 Starts 5 Wins 1 rating 92
Class 5 Starts 5 Wins 3 rating 82
Class 6 Starts 4 Wins 2 rating 81

This horse looks to improve, very effective at Class 5 and beyond that level now, best rating at Class 4 with 1 win from 5 starts, decent rating at Class 3 but no wins from 4 starts. At levels 3 and 4 there have been 9 starts and 1 win (11%) the best ratings have been achieved at that level but the questions to ask are:

1. Will it produce more success or will the horse find one too good on many occasions?
2. Will the horse have to drop back to a lower level for a confidence booster?

A structured horse racing class system reveals the optimum level the horse can achieve.
A form based system that provides for a horse to have won at the class level or higher can only be of advantage in building a winning method.

It is advisable to look at the class the horse had competed as well as the best time it had achieved. The horse may have perform exceptionally well at a certain class and is promoted to a higher class with horses of the same calibre.

Race distances

Races are run over a variety of different distances. In the UK flat races range from 1km to 3km, UK Steeplechases or hurdles(jumping over obstacles race) from 3.2km to 8km and US races from 1.2km to 2.4km. So you can see they vary considerably.

Most horses will have a distance which they give their best performances. Some horses will be very fast, but with not much stamina. So these horses will perform better in shorter sprint races which is usually up to the most of 1.2km. Others will not be so fast but will have more stamina, so obviously these horses will fair better over longer distances. Looking at a horses performance will help you to work out which distance is the optimum distance for that horse. If has run well over 1.6km you can be fairly sure it will also perform on 1.4km. If however the furthest a horse is raced is 1.4km and it is entering a race of 1.8km or more then you must be cautious as it may tail off at the end of a race this much longer than it's used to. Often though, if a horse has good basic speed it will be able to win over a number of different distances.

Some thing to observe that if its running on towards the end but just missing out over 1.2pm, average 1.2km results may come good over 1.4km if the horse showed late sprinting or acceleration. The same principle is vice versa, if its weakening at the end over 1.4km, Don't try anything longer than that.

It is useful to keep an eye on distances but it is not the most important factor to consider compared to others. Thisbis because most of the time trainers will only enter horses in races with a length they believe their horse can perform well.

Track: The Going

The going describes the condition of the course - the state of the ground.

All horses are built differently and have varying styles of running.

Horses that gallop with a high, rounded action often prefer running on softer ground as their legs are hitting the ground from a greater height that horses that have a flatter action.

There are five official going descriptions in Singapore: Firm, Good, Yielding, Soft, and Heavy. The order is from hard and dry to the softest and most moist on the track. The most common going is good which is the most ideal going of horse racing. A rainfall is likely to change the going from good to yielding.

Although softer ground is more tiring which means horses are more likely to fall, injuries tend to be less serious because the ground provides a cushioning effect for those fallers.

The track going may affect the performance of most horses. For example,a horse has 1-2-5-1-3-2-7-1 form all at the same distances. Check the going for each race, maybe all the good results come on a dryer and firmer track whereas the bad run maybe on soft or wet track.

Horse's Body Language

A horse does not wag its tail or purr, but it sill has plenty of ways in which to communicate how it feels. The signs may be subtle, but with a little experience, anyone can pick up on horse's body language.

EYES: a horse's pupils cannot widen, so eyes are a bit difficult to read. Usually, a horse has a soft expression around its eye. The area above the eye will show whether the horse is worried or angry. Some horse's, when startled, will show the white area surrounding the eye.

MOUTH AND LIPS: A horse's mouth is very expressive. A droopy lower lip on an older horse often denotes a relaxed, content horse, and a horse that chews or licks without food present is being submissive. A nuzzling lip shows affection, while a horse gnashing, grinding, or baring his teeth is showing anger or irritation.

LEGS AND FEETS: A horse that is pawing the ground with a front foot is showing impatience. When it rests one hind foot, it is resting comfortably. But any horse that pulls a hind leg up and makes a jerking motion is very angry and threatening to kick.

EARS: A horse' ears face the direction it is looking at. If the ears are forward, the horse is interested in something in front of it. One ear flicked back while the other is forward means a horse is paying attention to something behind him which is often the rider. Ears flattened low against the head denote an angry of irritated horse. Some horses will often hold their ears in a floppy sideways position, which is a sign of deep concentration and focus.

TAIL MOVEMENTS: Although a horse does not wag its tail, it can still express feeling with it. A horse that clamps its tail down indicates that it is tense or possibly not feeling very well. If it swings it's tail softly it is relaxed and contented. A tail held high indicates a horse in good spirits, but when it is lashing its tail back and forth is showing his displeasure.

READING HORSES' BODY LANGUAGE AND KNOW THEIR EMOTIONS

CONTENTED: Relaxed neck and head position with hind leg resting and tail subtly swishing. Soft look in the eyes. Ears flick. Lower Lips may droop down.

INTERESTED: Head and neck elevated slighty. Ears forward. Nostrils subtly flared. Horse stands square or moves towards the object of interest. Eyes bright.

SUBMISSIVE: Horse lowers his head. Stand on its ground but lick its lips or makes chewing motions. May shuffle its feet. Eyes alert. One ear points towards the dominant individual. Tail remains low.

AGGRESSIVE: Horse humps its back slighty, lowers its neck and may thrust out its head. May grind its teeth or even snap. Hindquarters tighten, lashes its tail and may lay its ears flat against its head. Eyes have a sharp, assertive look.

EXCITED: Horse may gallop, buck, snake its head from side to side, slide to a stop or prance. May snort after galloping. Raise its head significantly and arches its neck. Eyes widen and may show white. Nostril flare. Tail will arch or even stand straight up.

ANGRY OR IRRITATION: Horse look at source of irritation with hard expression. May stamp its feet or paw the ground. Swishes its tail viguorly and lays its ears back. May grind its teeth or nip.

ILL OR DEPRESSED: Lacklustre eyes. Weak posture with low neck and motionless tail. Legs often splay out to hold the body up. Uninterested expression. Horse holds its ears neutrally or to the side.

FEARFUL: Horse stops in its tracks, runs or leaps suddenly, and snorts. White ring around the eye. Nostril flare. Head and Neck raised. Ears prick towards the frightening object.

The Horse's Senses

SIGHT
Horses have extraordinary field of vision, being able to see nearly all around iptheir bodies. However they cannot see directly below their noses, due to their eyes being on the sides of their heads. They will turn their head to bring objects into focus that are out of their peripheral vision. Horses sees a well in the dark, but introducing a light source at night will impair their vision. Horse's eyesight also worsen with age.



FIELD OF VISION
A horse can see nearly all around it's body. The horse can see well in front of itself in the binocular angle of sight and the excellent vision is at the diameter of the 65 degree mark of the binocular vision. This is the reason why the opening of the blinker is restricted to this angle.
The two blind spots are right below it's nose and directly behind it.

HEARING
A horse's hearing is it most acute sense. It is able to hear many high frequency sounds that human cannot hear and can pick up sounds from several kilometers away. Because of their acute hearing, loud noises or cacophony of sounds will cause many horses distress. A horse can be voice trained to recognize words and sounds and will follow voice commands. It is also attuned to its handler's tone of voice.

TASTE
A horse's sense of taste develops depending upon how he is kept. For example, racehorses are rarely fed treats, so that it will not automatically know apples, mints, sugar and even carrots are good to eat. Despite this, a horse has a discerning palate. It can tell dry, steamy hay from hay full of flowers. It can even differentiate local and foreign water. Thus it may go off it feed or refuse water if it find the taste too foreign.

SMELL
Smell is also very important to a horse's survival. A horse relies on its sense of smell to help decipher whether someone approaching is friend or foe. It can even smell water from a great distance and will be able to find it's way back home by following scent.

FLEHMEN RESPONSE: A horse often makes this facial expression as a reaction to unusual smells or tastes in the environment.

TOUCH
A horse is a thin skinned, short haired mammal, so he is very sensitive to touch, and a horse can feel a fly land on it's coat as well as flick it away at the same time with a deft swing of the tail. And using it's lips and whiskers, it will pull up grasses according to feel, not sight. A highly trained dressage horse can interpret the subtle weight shifts and leg aids of its rider.