RACING Q & A

Question: If a horse sweats or “breaks out” in the paddock while being saddled, should it affect my decision if I have handicapped the horse as a probable winner?

Answer: “The weather is a factor,” said Dr. Manuel Gilman, now a steward at the New York tracks and for many years chief examining veterinarian for the New York Racing Assn. “If the weather is cool and a horse still breaks out, he is usually a frightened, nervous animal. On the other hand, if the weather is warm, most horses should be breaking out to some degree. If the weather is extremely hot, breaking out can be debilitating or weakening.

“I recommend looking at all the other horses in the paddock as an indication of the norm,” Gilman continued. “If only one is breaking out and the others are not, then the horse who is sweating profusely may bear reevaluation. Sweating in horses starts at the neck and flanks. Taking an overall view, it is usually a sign warranting caution.”

Q: Certain families of horses are known for stamina, others for speed. Do these characteristics ever change with the passage of time?

A: You have an interesting question. Consider the case of Lord Jersey’s Glencoe, a foal in 1831, who may have had more stamina than any other horse in England. A classic winner at 3, he won the Ascot Gold Cup at 4, and Lord Jersey challenged all comers at four miles. So great was Glencoe’s reputation as a stayer that there were no acceptors to the challenge.

Glencoe’s fame was known across the Atlantic, and he was eventually purchased by James Jackson of Florence, Ala. One of his best foals here was Reel, a top racing mare of the 19th Century and dam of 14 foals including LeComte. Reel, bred to Lexington, produced War Dance, sire of Lizzie G., the dam of Mannie Gray, who was the dam of Domino. Domino, through Questionnaire, Free for All, and Rough ‘n Tumble, was the great-great-grandsire of Dr. Fager, who still holds the world’s record for a mile of 1:32 1/5. Thus, in a bit more than a century, the Glencoe line went from stamina to speed.

Q: Please explain the meaning of the term “grabbed a quarter,” which I read this spring in several stories about the Triple Crown races.

A: “In a typical case of grabbing a quarter, the right hind foot of a horse will, during the course of a race, strike the left front heel of the same horse, usually on the inside of the heel,” said Dr. William O. Reed, veterinarian and surgeon. “It is slicing wound, caused by the toe of the rear shoe. The hind foot literally grabs the front heel and slices it open. Sometimes a horse suffers such an injury when another horse steps on him, but usually he does it to himself. The wound is trimmed away and covered with antiseptic. Occasionally it is necessary or advisable to suture the wound, although not in cases in which infection could be involved.”

Q: How much weight will a horse lose through the course of a race?

A: Horses, like humans, are individuals. They react differently to different situations, and their degree of dehydration, or loss of fluids, also differs. Weather and fitness are also factors. It is reasonable to expect horses to lose more weight in warm weather than in cold weather. Their bodies attempt to maintain an even temperature. A fit horse will lose less weight in a race than a horse that it not in condition. Competition must also be considered: A hard race will take more out of a horse than an easy race. Most veterinarians tell us horses can lose from 15 to 25 pounds in a race, more under severe conditions.