Why do jockeys and harness drivers burn their horses up by racing on the front and usually have nothing left?

Question

I know that some horses won't rate but too often it is the driver, jockey or trainer that "send the horse" which wood be great if they are the only horse that "leaves" but often it is a multible of horses that are sent and they are nowhere when the finish line comes up.

Answer 1

The strategy for harness racing and flat racing is different.  

With harness drivers, they usually know that they all hit very similar fractions so being in position 1 or 2 can be very advantageous especially entering the stretch (no. 2 position can dive through the inside lane after benefiting from the "wind shield" provided by the leader.  Trying to go around the outside adds precious milliseconds especially for a track that allows carts to race only about 3 wide on the stretch.

With flat racing, a jockey usually knows which 2-4 horses are really in contention to win.  Their strategy on the race will usually depend on whether the others in contention are normally sprinters (very good early speed but lactic acid kicks early) or routers (not much early speed but lactic acid kicks in much later).  If they are trying to "kill" the sprinters, they will try to push the early fractions faster to make the sprinters falter in the stretch.  If they are trying to make a sprinter win, they will try to go to the front and slow down the fractions and make the sprinter last longer.

Happy racing!

Answer 2

Because the horse is unable to do anything else.  Not being a trainer or jockey, I suppose that if the horse can't rate, you let the horse do what it can and hope one day he "gets it", by either relaxing on the front so he can keep some energy in reserve, or takes his/her speed far enough and gets brave down the stretch.

A horse with some early speed, sometimes it just takes some time to go down the class ladder to find a place where that horse can win, too.

Answer 3

Everyone has a different strategy.  The nature of competition is the conflict of strategies.  Some in need of conditioning are put on the lead do put speed into a racer.  Others are sent to the front to teach them to relax at greater distances.  It depends on what the trainers are attempting to accomplish.

Answer 4

A good trainer will hire a good rider and it up to them to teach them to "RATE "

So If a horse goes out first then he is a speed horse and sometimes the Jockey can not hold him back

It really very difficult to know once those gate open up  And not everyone knows what That horse will do are act like ,

So then the trainer will know where to put that horse in another race