Re: It's a Raid!!! (366 Views)
Posted by:
Thehoarsehorseplayer (IP Logged)
Date: December 17, 2004 02:50PM
If this scandal involves letting horses run with less than their assigned weight than it should be a major scandal. It undermines the very foundation of racing, and yes, calls the legitimacy of any and all weight influenced figures into play.
But where's the "edge" to not reporting overweights?
Certainly there is no race day advantage to any overweight entry.
And while I can see how knowing one horse is carrying more than assigned weight might give a bettor a big advantage in a match race, I think the fuller the field the less advantage there is to "knowing" this information at the expense of the public. At least, it doesn't seem like enough of an advantage for a clerk of scale to risk his cushy job for.
As far as looking the other way to help the jockey out, that a jockey can't make weight doesn't seem like information than can be kept secret for very long.
So, on one level it almost seems like the only reason for not reporting "overweights" is that there might be too much paperwork to fill out.
And although, my whole vision for growing the racing industry can be summed up the the phrase, "Honor Informatin," I was beginning to think this was much ado about nothing. I thought it was wrong, but it struck me as being careless wrong rather than crafty wrong. I just couldn't figure out the "edge" for the sharks, the chum for the chums.
But then I saw it (Sea Hunt theme here): I'm a weight off guy. I like weight off a horse. Is this what is going on? Are horses knowingly being raced overweight today, so that next week they'll get "invisible" weight off courtesy of a properly weighted jockey?
Well, now we're back to a true "scandal" again. For if this is the case, one has to assume that the trainers and owners are complicit in this too.
To those who would argue, that's it's only weight and how much difference can a few pounds make, I would think the answer is self-evident. Obviously a lot, or they wouldn't be going through all this trouble.
Post Edited (12-18-04 09:05)