My two bobs worth... :) Some of the uneducated drivel people have been spewing since the tragic events after the Melbourne Cup only goes to show just how little they REALLY know about racing. The racing bodies of each state have very strict rules which, if not adhered to means a horse cannot race, simple as that!! Right from the requirements and experience a person has to have to even be granted a licence, to the stable returns trainers have to lodge with the racing bodies to track when a horse comes and goes between stables, to trialling before the stewards to prove each horse is ready to race... Then if there are gear changes like blinkers, bandages, bits, winkers, etc it all has to be declared and sometimes the horse has to trial again to prove it is comfortable and tractable with the gear change. If a horse is too slow and refuses to race then it can be banned for being uncompetitive (there goes the argument of being forced to run!!), if a horse is fractious in the barriers stewards can require the trainer to give the horse more training and trial before it can race again, and if no improvement then it can be banned. If a horse races out of character (either a talented one which puts in a poor performance or a poor one which suddenly finds form) the trainer and jockey can be called before the stewards to explain why. The same if a horses normal race pattern changes, stewards can ask why the trainer changed from eg. coming from behind when the horse had always been a front-runner. And random swabbing is exactly that - its not only done after you win, you can turn up to the races and the vets will come and take your horse before it races, after it races, whenever they want, to swab it for any illegal substances, so the idea that horses are drugged to the eyeballs is absolutely ludicrous. And so many more requirements and rules which the governing bodies enforce and hold trainers, jockeys and owners accountable for, to keep racing as safe, fair and enjoyable for all concerned, both animal and human. Unfortunately accidents happen, in all sports, in all walks of life, everyday, everywhere... thats why they are called accidents, not on purposes... :)
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 06:29:17 +0000
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