Don't discount a Secretariat like performance Saturday

[JimP]

Perhaps. Or maybe they just decided to get in step with other jurisdictions. Who knows what their motivation was? We can only speculate. So what\'s the fuss? CC is apparently running with the strip. We know that. We also know how he has run in the past with the strip. Seems like we know all we need to know. I would be more upset if I was trying to handicap this race and some outside agency (like the stewards) decided that CC could not run with the strip in this race. Then I would have some new \"unknown\" to plug into the handicapping process. Why doesn\'t everyone just go handicap the race with the past performances that we know.

[TGJB]

So basically you decide to pretend the words \"normally capable of\" were not there, and substituted \"otherwise would\". Right?

If you look at the horse\'s TG sheet you should be able to see why it\'s a \"big deal\". Or, just name another since Cigar (100,000 horses ago) who had a sheet like that without a trainer change to a move-up guy.

[jim dennis]

Hey Jerry,

Just curious if you saw my second post about the shoe change coming BEFORE the jump-up race in December? I was anxious to hear your thoughts on whether you felt that the \"new design shoe on\" was more likely to explain the jump up and no regressions results we\'re seeing than the \"nasal strip on\"? Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Jim

[JimP]

Exactly. Because \"normally capable of\" is a meaningless term. So I thought I would direct the conversation to terms that are defined. We know that certain equipment helps a horse runs faster than he \"otherwise would\". The list of such equipment is lengthy. It includes shoes of all types, saddles, bridles, blinkers, tongue ties, nasal strips, and probably most influential of all - whips. All of those are presently deemed to be legal by the powers that be in racing. We also know that ingestible items can also cause a horse to run faster than he otherwise would. Most of those have been deemed to be illegal. We can only hope that none of those illegal items are being used. That much I think I know. What I can\'t figure out is why on a handicapping board there is so much consternation about any one of those previously listed legal items that we all can choose to include or exclude in our handicapping process. We know what the CC past performances look like with the nasal strip and he\'s running with the strip again. So let\'s handicap. Why all the fuss? Wouldn\'t you, as a handicapper, be more concerned if the stewards injected anything into the conditions that might make those known past performances less valid. Such as prohibiting nasal strips. That should cause a fuss. They haven\'t done that. So let\'s handicap.

[TGJB]

Jim-- yeah, saw that at night and forgot.

1-- The original story was that the shoe change happened a race later. After the strip thing became an issue, that changed to a race earlier, I didn\'t tell the trainer what I did. Don\'t know about the trainers you know, but... it\'s at least questionable.

2-- No, I don\'t believe shoeing could cause that big a change, not even cleats (turndowns), which as I understand it is not the supposed story here anyway.

3-- The only parallel I can think of is Cigar, 20 years ago. As I said earlier, I\'ve been told recently that Allday started treating him, I can\'t confirm it. I also heard another related story which is worse. Regardless, I still want someone to give me another example of something like this.

[TGJB]

You are right, there is a long list of things that affect the non-consequential thing you mentioned. Which has nothing to do with the original post you addressed, or this conversation. Your original completely inane comment was that only a trailer could make a horse run faster than he normally was capable of. I mentioned Clenbuterol, EPO, and steroids, and you took the conversation elsewhere.

If you want to tell me blinkers and broncho-dilators are equivalent, let it fly, I\'m done with this nonsense.

[joemama]

Let not forget about the stuff that is used that is not specifically banned.  The item I am thinking of I guess would be called a topical in a sense and would not be detectable and is probably not on any illegal substance banned list. For example Ben Gay or Icy Hot. I\'ve seen that stuff stuck in places I\'d rather not mention.

[jerry]

Really. Soft palette displacement?

\"Dorsal displacement of the soft palate is a disorder of the upper airway in horses. It is one of the most common upper airway obstructions, and it causes poor performance and abnormal noise while exercising.\"

\"Initial treatment for intermittent DDSP often involves equipment changes and a conservative approach. Tack such as a figure-8 noseband, tongue-tie, or bits that help keep the tongue in place are often used to prevent a horse from displacing his soft palate during exercise.\"

And then there\'s the Myectomy.

[JimP]

So am I. You aren\'t listening. It\' a useless discussion.

[TGJB]

Those things let horses breath normally, as a normal unobstructed horse would. They don\'t let them go beyond that. Clenbuterol (for example) does more than that, it expands air passages past normal. If this thing expands airways it does something similar.

And by the way, throat operations should be made public. They are gigantic handicapping info, even more than first Lasix.

[yesthatwouldbeme]

I\'ve worn a nasal strip to bed when I\'m congested, they\'re so simple and they work instantly at pulling open your nasal passages to breath easier, without drugs or nasal spray etc.

You guys ever hear anyone postulate that somehow the NFL players wearing them have an advantage over those that do not?

Did Adrian Peterson win an MVP Award because he wears a nasal strip on Sundays?

I\'m real new around here, but I\'m a bit taken aback that this topic, (given the AMAZING handicapping angles I\'ve discovered here) is seriously being pinged back & forth over the net for this long...

[bellsbendboy]

I agree, ten plus million posts on a nasal strip!  Next we will read that they feed \"Chrome a couple of apples on Wednesdays.  bbb

[miff]

\"I agree, ten plus million posts on a nasal strip! Next we will read that they feed \"Chrome a couple of apples on Wednesdays\"

Actually CC moved forward after a certain cookie was fed to him by the wife of one of the owners. Makes as such sense as a $12 nasal strip making a slug to a possible TC winner.

[jerry]

OK. So he was helped by them. Ever see a horse move froward with Lasix? What\'s the difference?

[jerry]

Or the Belmont without nasal strips.