Judging in horse racing is subjective, imperfect, maddening, and many times an unenviable task. But it's a big part of this sport and I think, like with other sports, it should evolve and continually try to improve.
In many ways I believe judging in the thoroughbreds has improved over time; they've added some logic, reason and guardrails to the imperfect. It's not perfect, but I believe it's getting better.
Typing that I believe the thoroughbred stews aren't too bad at their jobs might get me blocked and reported on the twitter, but yes. I believe there are several things our harness racing judges can learn from them. I'll list a few here.
Tic Tacs
Thoroughbred judging deals with an immutable truth about this sport we all play or participate in - with thousand pound animals going full speed around two turns in big fields, stuff is going to happen.
There's variance, there's path adjustments and bumping and all the rest. It's just the way it is. And unless something is egregious, the horse is staying up.
Nowhere is this more apparent than the start. The start is a particularly violent event, where fractious horses, ready to go at top speed immediately can hammer the hell out of each other. 99.9% of starts aren't even looked at because they're a part of the game.
Harness racing could not be judged more in the exact opposite way. Every horse is expected to have wide berths. Every driver and horse are expected to keep perfect straight line paths.
If a horse breaks in front of another horse and a driver pulls a horses head sideways costing him a foot, bye bye to the breaking horse, even if he wins by 25 and the offended horse loses by 50. A horse simply making another horse veer off a straight line course is considered a violation.
Harness racing, because of race bikes and the threat of accident surely should be called closer than thir runner cousins. But, it's bonkers just how close the game is called. The judges leave nothing to be desired when it comes to the vagaries of the game.
Angles are Imperfect, Hence it Better be Clear
In thoroughbred racing they are loathe to throw out a winner unless the evidence a foul occurred is pretty overwhelming. One of the reasons for this is the available angles on replay.
Just like in hockey replay (before the camera was placed directly on the goal line, it was pretty impossible to tell if a puck crossed the goal line), in racing we're dealing with a pan shot that might be at a 15 or 40 degree angle to an infraction, and the head on doesn't show depth.
Was the hole there? Did this horse crowd another? Unless you have a drone shot directly over an infraction, you might never know for sure. In harness racing, judges seem to happily guess, and then revert to the tic tac point above.
Thoroughbred Stews let the Jocks Jock
Racing is (or should be) a tactical game, and it's ruthless.
When Fierceness had the rail recently at Saratoga everyone thought he'd have trouble being pinned in. Right on cue (the jocks read Marcus Hersh or read Tinky posts) not one but two jocks race-rode him into the rail. They knew they had a job to do to win that race, and they also knew they weren't getting pitched for a tic tac for a tactical ride.
Jocks show a lane, then close it. They drift to show a horse an oncoming one. They're allowed to, well, be jockeys with a functioning brain. The best at it get paid millions.
In harness racing if a driver briefly and tactically shows a hole and the following driver is dumb enough to try and take it and it gets shut, you're likely tossed. If he (rare at Mohawk that's for sure) swings three high early because they're walking and a horse behind him tosses his head, (because that horse's driver doesn't have a clock in his head) it's a tic tac toss.
In thoroughbred racing, riding brilliance is respected, in harness racing, driving brilliance can get you suspended.
I remember a bunch of years ago now it was Breeders Cup Saturday and I bet a horse in a turf race where (it mighta been Goldikova) the rider forced his way out, because a horse beside her was dying and wouldn't get out of the way. The judges didn't even look at it.
Later that evening I made a bet at the Meadowlands on a horse that I thought was super-talented but completely wonky. He was being driven for the first time by Yannick Gingras, who even then showed no fear with such horses. The horse was 5-2 and Yannick set sail. Leading at the half by six he went offstride and immediately pulled right. The driver of the horse six back in second, veered out, not because he had to, but because he got scared.
Yannick, with the driving brilliance we see nightly with him now, got back on stride, swooped the field and won by five in a completely remarkable performance.
The Meadowlands judges tossed him, because of the actions of the driver six lengths behind him who got scared.
Harness racing and thoroughbred racing has to be judged differently. But to me anyway, the gap is too large. And harness racing has to move more towards the thoroughbreds, not the other way around.
Have a great Monday everyone
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