Noosa Beach just won his 9th from his last 10 races. He never changes leads down the lane but always finds another gear. They go along with it because they don't want to get in his way. Odd and a little ugly but effective. (Watch his replays on Calracing.)
How common is something like this among stakes horses (he is a G3 winner)?
"The horse. Here is nobility without conceit, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity. A willing servant, yet never a slave." - Ronald Duncan
To me it means that he is well medicated. That's usually a sign of an injury and he's getting off the injured leg.
But he's been doing it for 3 years and nobody up here can beat him.
"The horse. Here is nobility without conceit, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity. A willing servant, yet never a slave." - Ronald Duncan
Alydar was very bad about changing leads - a perfect example is his Belmont run... I've always wondered -what if ?????
In Europe, do they care about which way a horse leads when he's in an all-out sprint running down the stretch?
"I bet two dollars on the longest shot. That way I don't get my heart broke." -- Simpson
Honeymoon Honey, Byron's Pop for 2014 Kentucky Derby..... 5-6-2013
Bate's Motel was a Gr.1 winner who was reluctant to change leads.
He frustrated John Gosden by not wanting to change leads down the stretch.
I remember reading a quote by Gosden about it after he won the Big Cap.
Resident Crazy Birder
If anyone is curious about what I'm talking about, here are a couple of his races (not today's though)
2011 Governor's
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pEK8fcr0bw4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2010 G3 LGA Mile (more pronounced here, but he has a bigger kick)
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7EbnszGKA1E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
"The horse. Here is nobility without conceit, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity. A willing servant, yet never a slave." - Ronald Duncan
I was there for both starts at Emerald this year and saw all but the Mile live last year. I do think there is a little problem. He seems to be able to work around it but because of the reluctance to change leads he is really more of a grinder. Still he's the best grinder around these parts. Getting the winter off I think helps too. I hope they take care of him again and stay away from the BC. As for horses in history not having been mentioned, Forego was notorious for not changing leads. I remember Shoemaker stating he tried and tried to get him to change leads the first couple of times he rode him but finally figured that Forego must have known what he was doing.Originally Posted by daisy
Arazi won the BC Juvenile on the wrong lead.
Having broken yearlings in the far distant past and worked with green OTTB's destined to be hunters, I found many showed great reluctance to take their right lead. I bought a weanling at Keeneland in 1969 who refused to take his right lead. I finally put him on a lunge line and ran him into the corners of a stock pen literally jerking him onto his right lead. He finally made a great little show hunter who never cross-cantered and was wonderful at training level dressage but I ate a lot of dust getting him there.
He won again today, packed 126 & gave 9-11 pounds to everyone else. I wish I could warm up to this horse. I should like him, but I just don't....
"The horse. Here is nobility without conceit, friendship without envy, beauty without vanity. A willing servant, yet never a slave." - Ronald Duncan
Whereas people are usually right handed, horses tend to be more inclined to be left leaded. Horses have to learn to balance themselves when asked to demonstrate the fact they have another side that is foreign to them. It is like a right handed person being handed a pen or pencil and asked to write as well with their left hand as they do with their right. Takes a great deal of practice to overcome the awkwardness.
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