ADDING PHYSICALITY TO YOUR DAILY HANDICAPPING VIA THE RACETRACK FEED-----Part 8
6---TAILS by Joe Takach

Much like color, muscling, and energy levels, tails are readily visible via your racetrack feed much like they are when you are on track.
Tails are a great indicator of attitude and a willingness to compete.
Let’s first look at 3 negative tails.
A flat tail or one that is flush against a horse’s hindquarters indicates a runner that could care less about his upcoming race.
Runners with this type of tail are usually found on dull looking and dull coated horses, with many totally devoid of energy. These horses are willingly led around the paddock with their heads low and bobbing while kicking up dirt. Each step appears to be an effort. Sometimes their grooms have a very loose hold on their lead chains because they know their horse isn’t going to try and run off-----they simply don’t have the energy nor the will.
Another negative tail position is the “east-west” tail.
This is very easy to spot even via a racetrack feed in the brief post parade. An east-west tail is one that constantly moves horizontally from east to west. It never stops swishing and looks as if the horse is trying to rid himself of an imaginary and annoying insect. Horses with this east-west tail movement are mildly upset about the upcoming event, though not necessarily fractious.
Their negative east-west swishing of their tail is an attempt to rid themselves of this whole racing scene as they would rid themselves of a fly. They want to return to the backside for any number of reasons.
Imagine yourself to be a horse taking an early afternoon siesta in the solace of your stall. Suddenly, your groom slaps a halter on you and leads you over to the paddock to be saddled for an upcoming race. If you were a tired, injured, or unwilling horse, you’d most likely start swishing your tail east to west to let your groom know that you’d rather go back to sleep.
Tucked tails are the third variety of negative tail positions.
You won’t see this tail position all that often because most often it is associated with a frightened horse. The tail will almost disappear between the hindquarters. Horses with tucked tails are sometimes quite fractious with a wild look in their eyes. The upcoming race is the very last thing on their minds. Stay off them!
Moving over to positive tails, they too come in 3 varieties.
If a runner is interested in his surroundings and the upcoming race, his tail will be slightly raised and completely off his hindquarters. There is about 2 to 3 inches of “air” between the tail and the rump itself.
Though never keeping strict statistics on how many horses win with this first positive tail position, after nearly 40 years in the paddock on a daily basis I can assure you that it’s well over 90%. Most often coupled with this first winning tail position are good energy levels, good color, good muscling and good attitudes.
The second positive tail position is one that is popping north and south.
Even if offered no more than a 5 second glimpse of the post parade via your racetrack feed, the north-south tail is readily recognizable. Quite often gentle “false starts” or the runner playfully nudging his lead pony forward will accompany his north-south tail. But his is fully tractable and obeys the commands of both jockey and outrider. Of course, he looks totally healthy in every other respect.
Sometimes the north-south tail is a sign of superiority. These horses feel good and want to get this thing over ASAP and are letting their competition know it.
A caveat is in order with a north-south tail. Sometimes the north-south tail is a very negative sign and can be seen in fractious or crazed horses. These unruly runners are usually throwing their heads every which way trying to break away from their lead ponies. They won’t react to jockey commands and often try to throw their riders. Nothing about them remotely resembles readiness and they look nothing like the horse described above with the same very positive north-south tail.
Once in a great while you’ll see the 3rd positive tail, namely an “arched tail”. An arched tail is exactly what the name implies. The tail is not only well off the rump, it is literally arched like a flag. And as with all other positive tail positions, coupled with this arched tail a runner’s overall “physicality” can’t be faulted.
Arched tails signifies peak readiness, and wins or lose, these arched tailed runners will make their presence felt during the race. When you spy such a tail, and again it is a rarity, either “bet the farm” on the horse or stay out of the race.
And yes, you can see such an arched tail via your racetrack feed.
Last summer while in attendance at Del Mar, I had a few minutes between “live” races and bought a soda. I just happened to be standing next to a Saratoga satellite feed and decided to watch a 7 horse post parade unfold. I didn’t have any past performances, nor any information about the 7 horses other than their visual “physicality” and their name, trainer and jockey that popped up on the screen. I didn’t even know what surface they were running upon, nor the distance of the event. Suddenly, I spied an “arched tail”.
Though tempted to run to the window and put “a little something” on this horse, I had to get to the paddock for an upcoming Graded race to take my paddock notes. After looking at all the entrants in the walking ring, I proceeded to follow my usual routine and go to the front apron on the 2nd floor to watch all the pre-race warm-ups.
As I was walking from the paddock to the front apron, the Saratoga race was going off so I stood and watched the race on one of the many monitors. The horse with the “arched tail” broke on top and wired his field by over 5 lengths in a hand ride. I have no idea what the horse paid and can’t remember his name, but self re-education is always a good thing----especially when it comes to handicapping!

PART 9-----EARS

© Joe Takach 2007