4/27: Incident mars Derby Works..

[Linny]

Originally Posted by chucklestheclown

I just don't know what's so hard about having only a certain number of horses on the track at one time. Of course, accidents are that, but if they are there to work they should work, get off the track, and then put the next one on. Isn't that how they do it at the sales?

Other than each horse requiring about 5 minutes to train, multiplied by the number of horses in the barns. You soon realize that Todd's horses alone would take you beyond post time.
They do it like that at the sales because the works are being viewed by buyers with an eye to purchase and because they have ALL DAY to work them and each horse is just doinhg one thing, running for 1 or 2 furlongs. There are several thousand horses at a place like Belmont how do you train them one by one?
There are "rules of the road" out there but horses are horses. They dump their riders and crash into other horses or through the fences. Horses jogging/moving slow are kept to the outside and they go clockwise. This is for the same reason that if you are walking along a roadside you are supposed to OPPOSE traffic; so you can see on coming faster moving things.
Gallopers and breezers go counterclockwise, faster moving horses staying to the rail. Everyone who rides knows that it can be dangerous and their self preservation instinct saves alot of lives.
Young horses are often asked to stop and look around. Riders just sit in a relaxed manner to relax the horses. It gets them used to sights and sounds and gives them the idea that the whole "go to the track" thing is fun and easy. You see alot of this anytime alot of babies are around, like Keeneland or Churchill or Saratoga.