Talk about a true handicap race

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by SOREHOOF

More so in Europe where they are running up and down hills on some pretty rough tracks (not to mention 25 horse fields). On the flats at Saratoga and (I think) Colonial it's not really that bad. I gotta believe it's the jumping more than the weight.

I think the phrase is "Speed kills" and a horse carrying more weight just isn't going to run as fast as he would under lighter weight (ergo the whole theory of handicapping, right?). So, actually, in terms of stress, the slower the horse goes, the less stress on the legs. I've actually thought it would be interesting to see if raising the minimum weight horses can carry would reduce breakdowns because they just couldn't go as fast, though I imagine a 5-pound or even 10-pound increase might not be enough to make a difference, though it'd be healthier for a lot of jockeys.

[SOREHOOF]

I totally agree with that. Especially for the Jockeys.

I read somewhere that it was the high speed through the turns that was hardest on the horses.