Chris McCarron: What a Drag

[prist]

Chris McCarron not a fan of European jockeys riding high in the saddle.

\"Where the heck that\'s coming from?\" he asks. \"Laziness. It\'s more strenuous to get down and stay down for a long period. Harder on your legs, quads, hamstrings. These guys that get way up off a horses back have no idea how much drag they\'re increasing.\"

Article goes on to mention the new silks that came out back in the 80\'s.

[McCarron remembers when the new aerodynamic silks were sent to NYU for analysis. The lab computed a gain, over a mile, of around 15 feet]

Generating accurate speed figures can be a complex endeavor. Good luck, TGJB.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com

[prist]

The silks may be aerodynamic these days, but what about the skull cap that goes on the helmet? The European jockeys have the brim/bill standing straight up. It\'s a cool look, but it doesn\'t seem that aerodynamic to me.

[Roman]

I am trying to quantify the effects of wind on horses that run covered up in turf races. Have been using a wind app, that records the wind speeds & direction every few minutes. Convinced that there is an aerodynamic advantage that can be calculated into a figure.

[onward800]

I remember those tight fitting aerodynamic silks. It seems they were somewhat popular and used by a handful of trainers and owners for less than a year. If they were good for a 15 ft advantage why didn\'t they get widely adopted?

[onward800]

It might have been more of an owner request than a trainer decision  but I recall Pletcher and Lucas using them. But then my recollection is not too reliable.

[shanahan]

It\'s so different today
I hear every jockey say
what a drag it is wearing pants

I hear every trainer say
wear the pants and take the rail
what a drag it is if you spill

hey, it\'s a Tuesday - and it\'s raining...feel free to add another verse.