I call these “Angles” my lucky thirteen.
{1st time/2nd time Lasix}
Lasix is an anti-bleeder medication given to horses in an effort to combat the stresses on a horse’s cardiovascular inner-workings. Under extreme duress a horse usually bleeds from the nose. If said blood drains into a horse’s throat, he will want to stop running. Currently, about 80% of all racehorses need Lasix in order to continue a career as a racehorse. I believe that number needs to be at 100%!
The reason why I think Lasix is not “overused”, and should become mandatory, is due to the fact that almost all horse’s “bleed” a little bit (especially during the stresses of going all-out during the running of a race), and it just seems to me to be a bit more humane, in my opinion.
But, there are still owners of racehorses out there that believe the use of this medication diminishes the overall value of the horse, in the event that said horse were to go on and have a career as a stud. It’s my opinion that an owner that still subscribes to such a view, might want to consider a new hobby, or at least become more educated about the topic. It’s my contention that “1st time Lasix” no longer has the same effect it once had in the world of handicapping. It’s my solemn belief from a handicapping perspective that “2nd time Lasix” is a much more valuable “Angle” to consider.
In my opinion, 2nd time Lasix is a much stronger position to help base a selection on. There are a few crucial variables that most horseplayer’s are not aware of. Such as; the fact that in most states horses racing on the medication Lasix must receive it in a “Detention Barn”.
And, there’s the fact that when getting this medication for the first time, said horse might not urinate most of it out of his/her system in time for their race. Lasix is a diuretic and a horse on it should urinate a lot, prior to going to the paddock for saddling. Naturally, the first time this completely foreign substance is injected into a horse, the horse may not totally “go” enough prior to the start of the race. As of consequence, the horse may not race as well, as compared to the second time around. If said horse showed a marked improvement after the first start with the Lasix, then you can rest assured, that the second time will probably garner even more favorable results.
{1st start as a “Gelding”}
Horsemen from coast to coast refer to this as “The Ultimate Equipment Change”. A horse (typically a young colt), becomes a “Gelding” after a Veterinarian removes the testicles from said horse, through, castration. This is a very standard practice done in an effort to calm down an overly rambunctious horse. The average amount of training time that is lost from this practice is only about 5 to10 days, for “healing”. If a trainer feels the need to have a colt “gelded”, it’s usually for a pretty good reason.
There is absolutely nothing “inhumane” about it. And, a lot of times a horse might need to be “gelded” for actual safety reasons. As a basic rule of thumb, if a horse becomes completely “unruly”, it might be done strictly as a safety measure. After a colt becomes a “Gelding”, it almost instantly becomes much more docile. If a horse is extremely “lazy” and doesn’t want to workout, or simply refuses to, it might be a good idea to “geld” said horse, solely for that reason. There are literally a dozen or so other reasons why a horse might need to become a “gelding”.
The one thing that I look for (from a gambler or horseman perspective), when it’s announced that a horse is racing “first time as a gelding”, is the length of time that has passed from the horses last start, to today’s race. If the horse just raced a month ago, then it’s safe to assume that said horse has healed properly, and is back in training. There should also be a few workouts to view. If not, that’s usually a bad sign. It suggests that the horse might not be doing so well, after all. But, if the horse in question has a couple of decent workouts during the passing of a month, one can assume that all is going well. In the event that the workouts are exceptionally fast, that would immediately suggest to me that the horse might be ready to run a big race!
