RACING Q & A

Question: I’ve read that horses with speed do well around turns. Does it follow, then, that a mile race around two turns will suit a speed horse better than a mile race out of a chute and thus around only one turn?

Answer: “I don’t think so,” says veteran trainer Harvey Vanier. “It has been my experience that many speed horses with distance limitations will forget to stop in a mile race out of a chute. I’ve also seen some speed horses discouraged by a race around two turns. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, but in most cases I would prefer to run a speed horse out of a chute, unless the track is a ‘bull ring’--less than a mile in circumference.”

Q: Please settle an argument. Has a horse ever won two races on the same day?

A: Yes, and it happened at Agricultural Park in Sacramento on Sept. 18, 1876. The horse who did it was a filly named Molly McCarty, by Monday out of Hennie Farrow, by Shamrock, and she was owned by Theodore Winters. Molly McCarty, who was never beaten in six starts as a 3-year-old, won two of those races on the same afternoon.

Q: In handicapping the races, how much attention should one pay to fractional times?

A: “It is nice to know a horse can run fast,” says jockey Bill Hartack, now a prominent racing official at tracks in the Chicago area. “However, the fractional times really don’t have great significance. Track conditions and pace substantially affect the final times. If the early pace is slow, for example, the final time will probably be slow, too. If a horse wins a race easily, who knows how fast he might have run? How a horse ran is frequently more meaningful than his time or his fractions.”

Q: If a jockey does not claim foul, does this influence the opinion of officials if there is an incident in the race?

A: It is possible in some instances, but most officials are aware that, (1) some jockeys are reluctant to claim foul at any time, (2) some jockeys are reluctant to claim foul against certain other jockeys and, (3) some jockeys are reluctant to claim foul if they finish farther back than second, so that a successful claim can move them up to first. Experienced officials take these factors into consideration in adjudicating an incident of the type you cite.

Q: Who is considered to be the best steeplechase horse of modern times?

A: By consensus, England’s Arkle. He won 27 races over jumps before fracturing a hoof in December, 1966. He is best known for three consecutive victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, a weight-for-age steeplechase at 3 1/2 miles that is considered the world’s most prestigious jumping feature. Golden Miller, who captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup five times between 1932 and 1936, is also considered one of the greatest of the greats. Here in America, Neji, a three-time champion in the 1950s, and Flatterer, four times champion jumper between 1983 and 1986, are considered the best we’ve had in the steeplechase ranks.