Interpret Them Running Lines Yall!

Scott Eiland · Post by **Scott Eiland** » 17 years ago

Let's take a break from this week's "feelings" topic (i'm sure Karl is flattered to have 18 comments about what forum posters think of his motivations). I

Can I ask what a few phrases in running lines mean?
Here we go:

"dueled checked held position"

"clean break rank angled out"

"bore out turn gamely stretch"

"held mid pack mild bid turn evenly"

"urged turn flattened out"

Any help would be most appreciated!

Stormy Peak · Post by **Stormy Peak** » 17 years ago

Here's my take on the first one:

"dueled checked held position"
Dueled usually means a horse is 'racing'...not being lazy about things and actively interested in the horses - he's being competitive against another horse or horses.

Checked..usually means the jock had to jerk back on the reins due to an incident like a horse in front of his suddenly veering or slowing up.

Held position (in this context) means that after being checked, the horse didn't give up and quit...but didn't progress forward either. Some horses when checked get scared and will quit trying.
Some will race on like nothing happened.

Stormy

S.C. Burns · Post by **S.C. Burns** » 17 years ago

See...these running lines are why I wish they had punctuation...some of them really change meaning if you put a comma in different spots.

Like this:

"urged turn, flattened out"

"urged, turn flattened out"

Or...

"Broke smoothly, settled, bid between horses, flattened out"

"Broke smoothly settled, bid between horses flattened out"

"Broke smoothly, settled bid between horses, flattened out"

"Broke smoothly settled, bid between horses, flattened out"

Egh...whateva. They're still (mostly) Greek to me!

Sarah Chase · Post by **Sarah Chase** » 17 years ago

randall_graves wrote: Can I ask what a few phrases in running lines mean?
Here we go:

"dueled checked held position"

"clean break rank angled out"

"bore out turn gamely stretch"

"held mid pack mild bid turn evenly"

"urged turn flattened out"

How I interpret them -

dueled checked held position: challenged another horse or two earlier on, forced to slow down because of traffic problems or what have you, and then maintained his position neither gaining ground nor fading away to the back of the pack.

clean break rank angled out: broke well, headstrong/fighting rider, ran off the rail (possibly to avoid being boxed in)

bore out turn gamely stretch: swung wide on the turn (try fig8), tried hard in the home stretch

held mid pack mild bid turn evenly: rider kept him under hold mid-pack, made his move on the turn and ran steadily down the homestretch

urged turn flattened out: told to pick things up on the far turn, tired homestretch

Stretch refers to homestretch unless it says backstretch, I think. Also, when I see turn, I associate that with the final turn.

Sarah Chase · Post by **Sarah Chase** » 17 years ago

I think the real question is how to respond to the running lines. I normally start all 2yos off with a shadow roll and hind wraps. This is how I do things (not saying it's the ideal way, it's just what I do and I'm sure other people do different things). I'm not even sure how I came up with my method or if it works. I probably should be paying more attention to these things ...

At any rate, regardless of effectiveness, this is what I've been doing.

ADD:

blinkers if: slow starts, poor starts, bobbling starts
tongue tie if: flattened out late, stopped, tired late, evenly, held position
lasix if: tongue tie was added and still getting no response late

Earmuffs and no whip are last resorts for me. Not that there's anything bad about them, they're just more obscure than blinkers, tongue ties, and lasix and I'd rather exhaust those options first. They've seemed to help out some of my horses so I think I'll be experimenting with them more. See Persian Cat. Also, Birthday Candles.

Sarah Chase · Post by **Sarah Chase** » 17 years ago

One more thing - don't feel bad if you're tried a bunch of combinations and your running lines still aren't improving. Some horses just really suck.

Ryen Hanna · Post by **Ryen Hanna** » 17 years ago

Yeah, I agree with Sarah, I pretty much do the same thing. I start all my babies off with lasix and hind bandages and then adjust from there. Personally for some reason, though, I tend to throw blinkers on horses I know will be sprinters and most of my sprinters run with blinkers throughout their lives. I don't know why, I just do it that way!

The tongue tie is my new favorite thing...running lines have had the most impact on the number of my horses that wear tongue ties.

Ian Nicastrin · Post by **Ian Nicastrin** » 17 years ago

Can i get a formal definition of checked. I know there are rules... you can't just like full on angle in front of another horse and cut them off or you get penalized because that is dangerous. I assume checked is like when there is a gap in front of a horse and it gets closed... or a horse tries to speed up to pass another in front of him but can't because someone on his outside comes up to block his potential exit.

Murray McNickle · Post by **Murray McNickle** » 17 years ago

that's good question cuz i thought "checked" was when one horse slams into the other horse with his hockey stick at chest height, I could be wrong though

Steph Lonhro · Post by **Steph Lonhro** » 17 years ago

dueled checked held position: challenged another horse or two earlier on, forced to slow down because of traffic problems or what have you, and then maintained his position neither gaining ground nor fading away to the back of the pack.

I have another situation with the term checked, with my horse Clear Lake in his first race back in week 1, he won the race and this was his running line: Broke eagerly mid pack checked impressively

I know the broke eagerly probably means pretty good start got away and was racing in mid back this case probably between 2nd and 4th since it was a short field but then it says "checked impressively" he did win by 4 1/2 lengths

guess what I am asking what does checked impressively once he does have the lead? or am I thinking once he got near finish he just decided to slow down since he was in front?

Jolene Danner · Post by **Jolene Danner** » 17 years ago

I'd say that it means checked, impressively.

That's a good line. The horse had trouble having to check, and still won impressively.

When i hear checked I think that the horse had to stop his momentum, whether that means a horse cut him off, a horse tired in front of him etc. The horse's momentum was slowed, stopped or he just couldn't keep his same speed. So if a horse has that trouble and wins anyway, that is nice.

It's like Invasor's Donn win. That horse was checked down the lane, had no where to go, finally found a hole and won impressively.

Jolene Danner · Post by **Jolene Danner** » 17 years ago

here is where I'd put the comma's in these running lines. and what I'd say they meant. (i've been thinking all day if I want to reply and now I'm bored so i decided what the heck... LOL)

"dueled, checked, held position"

Was eye to eye with another horse vie-ing for posistion, got into trouble because a horse in front tired or his hole closed that he was going to run through, stayed in the same place down the stretch neither passing horses or being passed.

Checking can be hard on a horse, they lose momentum and some can't re-gain it.

"clean break, rank, angled out"

Got out of the gate well, was fighting the rider, was moved into the middle of the stretch so he had room to make a run at the leaders.

"bore out turn, gamely stretch"

Took the turn wide, even though the jockey was trying to keep him in, ran well in the stretch.

"held mid pack, mild bid turn, evenly"

was made to run behind other horses, made a move on the turn and the stayed in that same momentum not increasing speed in the stretch.

"urged turn, flattened out"

Was asked for more run on the turn and then hit the wall or just got tired, stoped etc.

Stormy Peak · Post by **Stormy Peak** » 17 years ago

Murray McNickle wrote: that's good question cuz i thought "checked" was when one horse slams into the other horse with his hockey stick at chest height, I could be wrong though

Jon Xett · Post by **Jon Xett** » 17 years ago

The following is intended as humor and self-inflicted fun:

Here is how I have interpreted some of my "running lines" this year.

-Bobbled start, rushed up, rank, no response late. (Means - Sell as fast as you can,waste not another second on this maiden gelding.)

-Sluggish start, mid pack, rank, no rally. (Means - poor horse! what were you thinking breeding a dirt sprint mare to your distance turf star?)

-Uncomfortable throughout. (Means - um, they really should revoke your trainers permit (sorry, I cannot spell liscense) for running your 2 year old turf colt by Tickle 5 f. on D I R T!)
This one is actually my very favorite running line. Simply stated and too the point! Focus, Jon, focus!

re: equipment to start out 2 year olds... If I suspect they are gonna be good, I start with front and hind bandages and see how they run. If I am not sure, I start with SR and HB. If I think they are too fast for their own good I will ban the whip. If they look like trouble is a brewing in thier pedigree, I will add blinkers. I rarely use lasix on any of my horses. It is interesting to note that a two year old may benefit from lasix on a first start.