Quality Road’s Breeders’ Cup Freakout
Quality Road delayed the start of the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic for 5 minutes when he decided he was NOT going to go into the gate. A few common tricks were used, but when the blindfold was put on and he found himself standing in the gate, he presumably panicked and lost his head, bucking and kicking and trying to bolt. Thanks to the assistant starters, a human hand was always clenched on a rein and he wasn’t able to bolt off and run blind (literally) down the track and crash and kill himself.
He was scratched from the race with a cut on a leg, and went down in history as the first (and so far, only) late-scratch in Breeders’ Cup history. The horses were reloaded and Zenyatta blew away to win.
I’ve never seen a gate mishap like this one. It’s one thing to see a horse flip over and be lying down in there, but it’s quite another when a 1100 horse has lost his head and puts himself and those around him in grave danger in a metal contraption.
Duration : 0:3:57
@HorseCrazieGirl15 …
@HorseCrazieGirl15 I’m not crazy about Chris Cox. In fact, I could care less about him.
@ …
@BarrelsPolesandJack
Chris Cox had a 2 episode special on gate loading it seemed to help the horse alot both on the track and off
Somebody needs to …
Somebody needs to put this to music!!!!!!!!
Poor Quality Road. …
Poor Quality Road. Hopefully this year he’s okay about loading. He’s been much better about it so far this year.
I hope he wins the Breeder’s Cup! He lost his last race, but I don’t think it was really his fault…. he’s the best horse racing right now in my opinion.
This video footage …
This video footage is perfection ammunition for every animal rights activist to use against the horse racing industry. As mentioned previously, horses needed better training on how to safely and quickly load into the gate–you won’t win a race if the horse hurts himself before it even starts. Furthermore, it’s unfair to the other horse owners (and horses) when a neurotic horse can affect the outcome of a race by routinely acting up while being loaded.
@Kekira WERE YOU AT …
@Kekira WERE YOU AT THE TRACK DAMMIT
NOOOOOOO
@ZenBestRachWorst …
@ZenBestRachWorst BREAKING NEWS FOLKS, SOMEONE SET THE HORSE(ZENYATTA) ON FIRE!! HER CONDITION AT THIS TIME IS UNKNOWN
@ZenBestRachWorst
@ZenBestRachWorst
@thelosthills that …
@thelosthills that dude really did a magnificient job.
i am loving QR here …
i am loving QR here, looking at his aggression and energy, he is a darling.
@ …
@bubblinbrownsugar616 well with racing some days are diamonds some days are stones– that day Quality Road was NOT digging that starting gate
Okay didn’t get a …
Okay didn’t get a chance to see TBC and while I’m watching, in the beginning I was LMAO because Quality Road was saying “Fuck This!! I ain’t running for you humans!!!”
but then when they tried to disorient him, get him into that gate, and he took “berserk” to a whole new level, I started getting scared even thought this happened last year. Something spooked the out of him!
Poor Horsey.
@ …
@BarrelsPolesandJack
I agree that Clinton Anderson Downunder Horsemanship is the best horse training I have found. However, I did see Cris Cox rehabilitate a Thoroughbred with serious gate problems in less than 20 minutes. Thoroughbreds are trained to run…..unfortunately not enough time is taken to train ones with this particular problem on how to load in the gates. Too bad.
Everytime I watch …
Everytime I watch this I keep hoping they get him in the gate and he runs so that Z can run him down so I don’t have to hear how he’s gonna destroy her in The Classic this year…Guess I should be grateful he didn’t run and I’ll get a better price on Z in the Classic
@Kekira Was there?? …
@Kekira Was there?? Tractors sound like that too. They usually have them hooked up to the gate to pull it away when the horses break.
@Kulaness
There …
@Kulaness
There was a helicopter making a LOT of noise, I can hear it in the video and it’s enough to startle a horse.
thank you!! this …
thank you!! this was potentially VERY dangerous to all jockeys and horses, let alone to Quality and his jockey!!!!
Horse 1…Humans 0??
Horse 1…Humans 0??
Someone said that …
Someone said that the noise could have been a helicopter but I am thinking tractor.
@KingKiaJames He …
@KingKiaJames He was one of mine too.
That handler who …
That handler who took control of a startled and panicked thoroughbred is the man!
Its a shame QR didn’t want to get in the gate, he was my pick to win
they didn’t put the …
they didn’t put the blind fold on and walk him long enough
Johnny Velasquez, I …
Johnny Velasquez, I think
i agree w/ …
i agree w/ ffalcons102
but sometimes the TRAINER needs to make sure the horse is used to the gate before he’s ready to race.
its like a car w/ out tires
a horse race isnt a horse race without the (although i want it gone or something done to it) Starting Gate
every now and then …
every now and then the horses get spooked. they should not have cracked the whip and certainly not put the blind fold on. it made it worse.