Here's what people said
So, here's what you had to say, in no particular order.
"If I am at home, I immediately cancel my bet. If I am at the track, tough luck, not enough time. Don't think it's fair to be penalized because you are at the track. Also, what about pick 6 and other bets? No easy answer."
--Gerald Zordani
"No brainier and greed. The horse that day is a danger to himself, jockey and other horses and you know he will not run his race. Lot of money to give back."
--Gary D. Gress
"You think of Barbaro and you scratch the horse."
--Karen Manner
"Stewards are under a tremendous amount of pressure to not scratch horses. If a horse breaks through the starting gate, it should be an automatic scratch. That would be doing what's best for the horse."
--Fred Lewandowski
"Horses are trained that when the gate pops open its time to go. It makes no difference that he was caught quickly by the outrider. Once he left the gate and then was caught, he probably lost all interest in the race. Should have been scratched and wagers refunded."
--Jerry Regina
"The horse should be scratched after breaking through the gate. It's not fair to the betting public, and not because it cost me the pick 4 and 5."
--Albert Jolet
"You can't scratch a horse every time one breaks through the gate, your fields would be too small. If the horse only goes a few strides and is caught, they should be reloaded, barring any injury. If they run 1/4 mile or more before being caught, they should be scratched, even if there is no injury. They've already used too much energy."
--Eric Clemenic
"I think the horse should be scratched, they could be injured or just not ready to run. When I see that, I think of Barbaro."
--Phil Pappalardo
"In this particular instance it was the right choice. He had done it before and won and the outrider picked him up very quickly. It's like stewards' decisions, you can't please everyone, you try and make the right choice. Personally, when this happens, sometimes I cancel my wager and sometimes I don't."
--Mike Illies
"I wonder if the real question isn't about the propriety of letting Pink Lloyd run, but rather, how long do we keep everyone in the gate while working with a recalcitrant runner? I'd like to hear from trainers and jocks about the loading process. Do you like to load first or last? If you have a horse which doesn't like waiting in the gate, have you ever, um, encouraged a bit of misbehavior behind the gate so you load last?"
--Chip Ossman
"When horses gate-crash, they should be scratched. They could have internal or unnoticed injuries. That's what should have been done with Barbaro."
--Michel Walker
"When this happens, and I am able to, I always cancel my bets because rarely do they run well. They are a great play the next time they start, if back in less than 30 days. I do not see a problem with allowing them to be reloaded, and start. If you scratch them, then all the horses have to be reloaded, and that not only delays the race but can adversely affect how it is run."
--Dennis McGarry
"If the complaint is that the horse ran, but did not do well because it ran off, then the bettor had time to cancel his bet during the interim. Intentionally preserving their bet after the incident indicates they still thought the horse would win while taking the gate incident into account. However, perhaps the player was in a crowded facility and could not get to a machine to cancel, but that's the risk we all take."
--Ray Rittenhouse
"In an ideal world, where time wasn't of the essence, the attending vet, jockey, trainer and owner could all be interviewed for a brief comment. The assumption is that three of them would say "let's run."
Knowing that, the inconvenience actually switches to the other horses already loaded in the gate. How much of a negative impact did it have on them and were the bettors hurt by the delay? Unknown. The fact is, that it doesn't happen often enough to make special rules just for it. What about the horse that throws a wing-ding in the saddling area or the horse that breaks in the air? And the list goes on. It's just a loss, turn the page and pick a winner in the next.
--Jim Wood
"Have the vet look over the horse quickly. If horse and jockey are OK then reload and race."
--Don Prigo
"If the horse just breaks through the gate and unseats the rider, and can be walked back around to the gate, let him run. But if the horse breaks through and runs any distance beyond the gate, the horse should be scratched. Once the horse breaks and starts to run, he has used up valuable energy."
--Barbara Meserve
"Pink Lloyd is to racing fans at Woodbine what Zenyatta was to racing fans here in Southern California-- extremely popular and a fan favorite. Pink Lloyd had a race record of 19-16-1-1 and a win in the Bold Venture would have put him over $1 million in career earnings. I certainly think it played a key part in why the horse wasn't scratched, along with the vet deeming the horse was physically OK.
"Racing should put in a rule stating that once a horse enters the starting gate, if it prematurly leaves the starting gate no matter how far it gets, the horse should be declared a non-wagering runner and be allowed to run for purse money."
--Chas Glazer
"Isn't this just a natural fluke, as much a part of the game as a horse dumping a rider after the race has begun? It's part of the beauty of the sport that so much of it is outside of our control."
--Drew Hart
"In the UK, any horse that breaks through the front of the gate before the start, is automatically withdrawn. Punters get a full refund. Pink Lloyd should have been withdrawn."
--Michael Miller
Thanks everyone for your comments. Gives us all something to think about.
--Me
Answer Man
It's been a while since we've done an Answer Man segment, so let's get back to it. If you have a horse racing question, mostly about how stuff is done or things you don't understand, send me an email at
[email protected]. Not looking for history type questions, but more of things you've always wondered but never had anyone to ask.
