So, random question
 

How come Standbreds can run almost 10 times more a year then thoroghbreds? Same horses basically run every weekend at Balmoral/Maywood and just curious about this? Because of the bred, not having to carry weight but 'pull' it? I know someone knows this answers, so don't be shy and not answer it because it is about standbred's. I am SLOWLY starting to get down with Meadowlands and Maywood/Balmoral

Standarbreds are not galloping during a race. They're only trotting which is basically jogging. Not only are they only jogging, but they aren't carrying any weight. When a thoroughbred races, he is in a full-speed gallop carrying 115 pounds. The trauma to his body is far greater than the trauma that a standardbred endures. There is serious wear an tear happening every time a thoroughbred races. His body is taking a real pounding when he races.

It's really the same thing with humans. Runners often have a lot of ailments such as bad knees, sore muscles and that kind of thing. People who do "speed-walking" don't have nearly as many injuries. If you do a really fast walk, it's not nearly as taxing on your body. that's kind of what harness horses are doing, whereas thoroughbreds are running.

UMMM they are not 'just jogging'---they too are all out @ more than 30 Mph, which equates to a 2 minute mile. (dreadfully slow by today's standards).
Standardbreds as a whole are a sturdier breed than throroughbreds...they usually have more bone and are smaller...some of what they do (race every week--jog 2.5 miles right before a race)--is more tradition and need than anything else. The purses they run for are a fraction of thoroughbred and therefore they have to start more often to make up the difference. Because the vet bills and feed bills and farrier etc are the same. the tradition of racing every weekend in the evening goes back to the country roads and farmers in the late part of the 1800's who would pitt their family horses against each other for bragging rights.
Like many other breeds in selecting for a specific trait without regard to others is changing the standardbred breed. They are larger and lighter boned than they were even as recently as ten years ago--breeders are looking for a horse that will be extremely fast on a 1 mile track (vs. the more common and traditional 1/2 mile oval)there is more money to be made @ these tracks..ie the meadowlands. the turns are not a tight and the stretch is longer so a smaller 'bulldog' type horse is usually not as successful. With the changes in the breed eventually you will see changes in how often these horses are run, at least at the top levels.
If you go on the backside of any harness track you will see many of the same injuries and ailments that are found in TB's. The track surface is stone dust and therefore harder and the turns are banked more--soft tissue injuries are not as common (but do occur esp. in the rear legs) bone chips and sore muscles etc are every bit as prevalent. I used to take in layups for a standardbred trainer and chips in the knees (and the resulting arthroscopic surgery) were quite common.

While on the subject of standard breds, What is the differance between Pace and and trot?

Yes, they are going 30 mph but they're not galloping. If a harness goes into a gallop, he gets disqualified. Harness racing is definitely not nearly as "high-impact" as thoroughbred racing.

Thoroughbreds are also going quite a bit faster. They run close to 40 m.p.h.

the difference is in their gait.

Trotters move with a diagonal gait (left front and right rear legs move in unison as do the right front and left rear)

Pacers move with with the same legs on both side in unison(right front and right rear move together and then left front and left rear move together.)

and pacers are the faster of the two gaits....and you see trotters "go off stride" or "break" more frequently, especially as 2YO's.

this is very common in races where there is a 2-5 shot...they seem to go off stride very frequently for some reason. I could give you a long list of names for drivers that it seems to happen with more frequently than others....but I will refrain :)

The Baron of Balmoral has spoken.

LOL...again...wont mention any drivers names whos horses go off stride as the favorite....

*COUGH...anthny morgn*:eek: :eek:

It's just a coincidence that certain drivers like to go off stride with 2-5 shots. LOL.

The sad thing is Richi, I could go through a list of tracks and name the driver most likely to break a horse

*cough..dave palone...*

Love CAL EXPO, love it

I haven't bet on a harness race in 20 years. I used to enjoy it as a teen-ager. Back when I was in high-school, they had harness racing at Hollywood Park. They raced at night. I used to go quite a bit.

I used to love to bet them, still do at times when the mood strikes me. I started out betting harness racing because at the time I couldn't read a T-Bred past performance if my life depended on it...and some will tell you I still can't read one:o :o

the important issue is not how fast they are going--I know that TB's are faster.
It is that they are both operating at maximum performance levels and therefore the potential stress/rigors on the body are the same.
Trust me Standardbreds are working every bit as hard during a race as their TB counterparts.

It's simple:

Top Notch Thoroughbred = Millions of Dollars in the Breeding Shed

Top Notch Standardbred = Not so much money in the Breeding Shed

The sport of harness racing can be summed up by simply watching the movie "Easy Money". The part when Rodney and Joe Peschi go to the track to bet a tip, and the driver puts his feet down in the stretch to blow the race.

It doesnt get any simpler than that. I betcha the sport of harness racing hates that movie.

It's irrelevant that they are both operating at maximum performance levels. A swimmer operates at maximum performance levels just like a runner, yet the wear and tear on a swimmer's body is far less than that of a runner. That's obviously an extreme example, but the analogy is correct.

Simply put the standardbred breed is a sturdier breed. Stronger. You don't see the kind of breakdowns in thoro and they race a ton more often.

I don't think it has anything to do with that. I think it has to do with the activity. I'm sure if you put someone on their back and raced them like thoroughbreds, you'd see them breaking down left and right.