ROB'S SHOUT - DOING THE RIGHT THING BY THE HORSE
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, September 6, 2012
Robert Heathcote is the leading racehorse trainer in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout' - the personal blog of the multi-premiership and Group 1 winning trainer will appear every Thursday on HRO.
A question was put to me this week … "what does it mean when a trainer says a horse will tell me what to do next?”
The question was prompted after the gutsy little Racing Heart had won his third city win from his last five starts. He's been up for quite a while but he continues to put in each and every race.
Funny though, he actually started his prep off a bit unusual as he came in from his spell to be prepped for the Ipswich Cup but I wasn't happy with a muscle problem he developed early in his prep, maybe from getting cast in his box. That forced us to put him back out in the paddock for longer which meant he missed a Cup prep … but when we finally got him right, he more than repaid the owners patience!
I guess the important thing that trainers have to assess after each run a horse has is how well have they pulled up as there is little doubt the extreme exertions of a race do in fact take their toll on a racehorse.
Each and every horse is different with the average runs per horse each prep being about six to eight runs (but that's an individual thing for each horse) … then there’s the programming, the distances and physical toll the prep takes on the horse and, of course, then there is the input of the connections of the horse … including, most importantly, the trainer.
Gee, I remember the iron horse, Adavale Hornet! He threw logic and common sense out of the window as he just kept backing up week after week and performing at an incredibly high level. It was a super job done by Ivan Duke!
How can the horse talk to us to tell us if indeed they have had enough?
Their feed intake is always crucial hence the saying 'training him out of the feed bin'! If they continue to eat well, licking their bins out, fair to assume the horses are happy and doing well.
Their physical appearance is also important as horses can drop away quickly when they have trained off or ‘gone over the top’ as the old timers used to say!
I always pay particular attention to comments from my staff … be it the riders in track work when any horse does things a little out of the ordinary and also reports on their general demeanour.
All of these factors can provide us with information into a racehorse’s well-being. A horse may well be reluctant to go into the barriers or even not happy about being in the birdcage prior to a race.
These can be signs the horse has had enough and is telling the trainer … or maybe there is an underlying problem.
Invariably a horse’s soundness is the most crucial guide, in my opinion, which is why a close working relationship with the stable vet is essential. Often the signs of a pending problem or a horse telling us he’s had enough may be camouflaged so it's crucial to be able to pick up on the early tell-tale signs.
Conversely the opposite can also work. I recently had Fire Up Fifi who was simply flying. I had planned to spell her after a win but, as she pulled up so well and a suitable race was available the following week, we decided to give her another start and she duly won that.
In this instance the reverse of the negative signs was true. She ate up well, she was nice and bright and she gave her rider a great feel under saddle. Fair to say she pulled up awesome so little harm in giving her another race before her spell which she won, so a nice pick up win for her owner!
I personally get a lot of satisfaction as a trainer when horses hold their winning form. It's a huge sense of professional satisfaction to have any horse win two, three, four or any five races in a prep.
Can you imagine the enormous job Pete Moody has done with the super mare, Black Caviar, to win 22 consecutive races? The pressure Peter has been under must have been enormous, but I am sure the sense of pride he has felt matches the pressure he has been under.
Part of the art of a successful trainer is the ability to correctly program a horse … programming and spacing a horses runs, correctly selecting the optimum winning distances as well as knowing when to step a horse up in distance so that it corresponds with the right class to keep the horse competitive
These are some of the many aspects which influence how far a horse’s preparation can stretch out.
This being said, I am in a fortunate position as the trainer of Buffering. His racing program is vastly different to that of most horses with in my own stable.
As a Group 1 weight for age performer, his days of racing in handicaps are probably over as he would simply get too much weight. He now has to be restricted to the WFA sprints which means his preparations are short with three or four run preps where he will race at the highest level.
He then has a break to prepare for the next 'specific' WFA sprint races. It's a bloody nice dilemma to have!
Another conundrum can sometimes get thrown up in this caper and that's when a horse is telling me, as the trainer, one thing and the owner, the guy who pays the bills, wants to keep going!
This is fine as long as the cards are on the table. I have always maintained it is best to send a horse to the paddock when there is still some fuel left in the tank. I believe they tend to spell better and, of course, come back better to full training.
Sometimes they can race well with that 'extra' run under their belt, but experience has generally taught me when it's the right time to spell.
Perhaps Racing Heart is a perfect example. The connections want him to run in the Newcastle Cup and the Metropolitan Group 1 race in Sydney. I don't believe that is the correct way to go for his program so he has now been transferred to a trainer in Sydney.
It's always an owner’s right and I will be the first to cheer him home if indeed he runs in those races and does well.
He is a game little bugger who always puts in, but there is something I learned a long time ago in racing!
Someone once said to me 'it would be great to have a runner in the VRC Derby!’ Believe me it is not when you are tenth at the furlong pole. Sure, you cannot win if you are not in the race and racing is often about dreams … yeah, sometimes they can come true and I hope in Racing Heart’s case they can!
One last thought. If you multiply all of the facets associated with each horse by the number of horses in any one stable it might help you understand just that little bit better how full-on this profession can be.
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I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome John Meagher and his family to the training ranks of Brisbane. John, his sons Chris and Dan and Sebrina are a welcome addition to Queensland Racing.
John has a wealth of experience both on and off the track. He is an incredible source of knowledge with his favourite book being "The Book Of Facts'!
John is a multiple Group 1 winning trainer with the highlight of his career being the 1985 Melbourne Cup.
John trained What A Nuisance to win the Melbourne Cup. Ridden by Pat Hyland and owned by Lloyd Williams the win was particularly memorable for the attendance of Prince Charles and Lady Diana who presented the winning connections with the famous trophy.
It was also the first Melbourne Cup to offer $1,000,000 in prize money. John has spent the better part of the last 10 years or so in Singapore and he relishes the challenge that faces him now.
It won't be too long before he sets out after the leading three in the trainers’ ranks.
Great to see the Thompson and Gollan stables starting off the season well and of course congratulations to Tony for winning the Wayne Wilson medal for Queensland trainer of the year at yesterday's awards function.
He has enjoyed a stella season with his two 'Boom' horses and no doubt he goes into the major Racing Queensland awards night on Saturday as the hot favourite to come away with the main gong … if Wayne's form stacks up!
Some great racing this weekend with the big guns back on the track. A couple of Queenslanders flying the flag down south so best of luck to all the connections. Do us proud!
Cheers for now.
Robert
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