“Hold” Horses Should Be Declared

“Hold” horses, especially over sprint distances, are a bugbear of the Turf Talk editor.

A punter might have done his homework on a horse running in a sprint and decides it just needs a good break to have a good chance.

However, he or she then sees with dread that the horse is being held by a handler while waiting in the gates for the starter to press the button.

The chances of this horse getting a good break have now been lessened in the opinion of the Turf Talk editor.

This is not to say it should not be held – perhaps its chances of getting a good break are actually better by being held than not being held, as it might be a restless type who might even try and charge the gates before they have opened.

The point is the punter should have been informed that the horse is a “hold” horse, so that he or she can know there is added risk.

The latest example of a horse hampered by being held was the Cliffie Miller-trained Horizon filly Bretty.

The commentator said this three-year-old had jumped slowly (at Monday’s poly meeting), because she had been on the wrong foot.

That might have been true, but she was clearly perturbed by the presence of the handler and threw her head sideways towards him just before the starter pressed the button. She was duly slowly away, which effectively cost her any chance because in that race she needed to lead.

It must be pointed out that this article is in no way pointing fingers at the competence of handlers, who generally do a dangerous job admirably well. It is simply a plea for added information for the punter.

Apparently one of the reasons the “hold” factor is not seen as a viable addition to the declarations is because some officially non-hold horses might be held on the day if becoming nervous.

However, perhaps it could be worded as “official hold horse”.

This could at least narrow down the possibilities of horses who might be free of a handler and will allow them to avoid certain horses if they want to.

For example, backers of the recent heavy odds on favourite Sun In My Pocket might have been saved some big losses had he been declared an “official hold horse.”

This filly is a clear example of a horse who needs to be held as she is very restless in the stalls. She duly cost herself completely by playing up badly as the starter pressed the button and she dwelt and lost many lengths.

The next step will be to contact the NHA to get their feelings on this subject, but for now this is just a foretaste of a controversial topic.

In Hong Kong, for example, handlers are not allowed to hold horses in the starting stalls. It is up to the trainer to school the horse well enough to handle the starting procedure. That would be the best solution.