Can anyone advise me whether there is any logistical barrier to horses being tested for blood counts the day before it races(metrop only) and soon after it has raced?
I know that cost is a factor but what about public confidence - I believe this is an overriding factor and warrants further consideration by the authorities who oversee racing.
Sure, some runners may be from country or provincial locations but why not insist they be brought to the city a day early to allow the tests to be conducted. Any costs can be worn by the ruling body similar to appearance money/starter fees being paid by some clubs.
I believe(have'nt personally been there but I have been told that jockeys are "locked up" a day or two early in Japan prior to raceday). I am certainly not suggesting this in Oz but I believe that punters would definitely be better informed if they had access to blood counts.
We need the ideas/suggestions of a vet or some suitably qualified practitioner to advise the betting public whether this is a viable strategy.
Just wishing to generate discussion on this subject which has been mooted for some time now.
Is this the "magic bullet" to better inform the betting publc or is it just a fanciful wish to find that elusive "edge" in form analysis?

Cheers.

Interesting idea Xanadu, the advantage of being an owner is that you are privy to horse physical weight and blood count information if the trainer will impart that info.

That is the very final factor in determining whether a horse will be "right" on the day.

We've seen many horses absolutely flop after a very good previous run, then come out and donkey lick the field at good odds.

I think this has more to do with horse weight, blood counts and other small injury, or illness which the punters are locked out from knowing.

If we knew in advance that the favourite had an infection last week, or had lost weight, or had a small hoof problem or knocked himself in the stalls, or had a cold, we wouldn't be taking the even money on offer, and backing something else.

Good point Xanadu.

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Chrome Prince,

Yes, I believe that this strategy should be implemented in the near future but, realistically, we will probably have to wait and dream for some time in to the future.
The points you make are valid and raises the question....why isn't the betting public privy to this crucial information?
A point I constantly make is: a better informed punter will generally invest more! This statement is yet to be disproved by any statistical data and if the authorities grasped this basic fundamental fact then they would be a long way to alleviating their concerns regarding diminishing betting turnover.

Cheers.

Chrome Prince,

It is similar to the insular thinking which still pervades racing particularly in Melbourne. Specifically, in 2YO races with the recent debate about non-trialling of 2YO's which would give the public some idea as to the abilities of particular runners. Some participants in racing still believe that the owner(s) is entitled to "the first go" with their horses. Sorry to inform those people that once their horse accepts to race it becomes "public property" and all it's training and tactics should be freely available to the betting public. If they are prepared to accept the very generous prizemoney provided by the betting public then they should be free and open with their runner's chances with the same public which provides many of them a very comfortable lifestyle. It is quite obvious that some of these "media darlings" forget this fact.
This thinking is like something out of the "dark ages" and the participants should seriously reassess their outlook.

Cheers.

i once bought this up about 4 months ago when banjo jim was talking about horse''s weight and no one seemed interested in it and having some inside info over the the years and one thing i would bet you is that it wont happen, and if it did what do you think the bookies would do with that information........
..................cheers.................gazman... .................

Xanadu
You have a valid point with regard to a horses weight and blood count goes,but I have to disagree with you about the rest of your assessments.Sorry if I offend you as I am new here.
1)the betting public does not provide the "generous prizemoney"only a percentage of same.The betting public makes Governments,Tote operators and bookmakers wealthy.
2)The only owners that live this luxurious and comfortable lifestyle that you talk about do not need to rely on a horse/s to provide them with same,they are already wealthy and living same.I am talking the Santics,Inghams,Sheiks etc.
Most owners these days are in syndicates and are battlers like you and me,hoping like hell that they have bought into a good one.Anyone that can afford to put a horse with Freedman,Hawkes or Waterhouse is not a battler.
3)When a horse accepts for a race,it does not become public property as you wrongly claim.Sure,it's racing in the public arena,but unless you are an owner/part owner and are footing the bills associated it is not your property in any way,shape or form.It is entirely up to you wether you even watch it race,let alone bet on it.
4)IMO as an owner/part owner,you are entitled to "first go"as you put it.As a battler you've got to get a quid where you can get it.I mean like if you owned or part owned a nag that the trainer told you he/she thought was "right"on a given day and it was at 10/1,would you approach the course commentator and ask him to announce it to the betting public?I think not,you would play your cards close to your chest,and if you didn't the trainer would never inform you again.
5)As for tactics,well that is already public knowledge,so don't know where you are coming from there.Trainers are now compelled to inform stewards of any change in riding tactics.Gai Waterhouse copped a fine not long ago for not doing same.
6)If you do your homework you can easily identify the leading trainers methods or tactics,for instance Hawkes will take a lot of non Sydney winners to QLD where they will invariably win races.John Morrissey does it quit often too.Look at yesterday with Morrissey and Perette(I had a good win on it)it's won 3 from 4 at Eagle Farm over 1400 yet still paid over $9!!!!That info was PUBLICLY available.

You will never get access to all the info you are seeking.
Could you imagine the course commentator 30 minutes before the Melbourne Cup this year announcing"Ladies & Gentlemen of the betting public,the chairman of stewards has just informed me that Maykbe Diva has bumped her head in the stalls about an hour ago,has a runny nose and is on heat,so she will be racing with a sore head and a cold and all the males will stay behind her.Also they informed me that Glen Boss is in a foul mood because the missus knocked him back last night and he can't win big races unless he has sex the night before.He also has a migraine,but informs us he will be OK as he has just taken 8 panadol fortes.
Would you have still bet on her????

As I said in the beginning,please don't take offence,but there is just so much info already available these days,I just think you are asking for something you are never going to get,and as Gazman said,what would the bookies do with same???They already have access to more info than you or I will ever have,let's not give them any more!!!

Sorry this has been such a long post,youre probably all nodding off by now!!!

Dang, JonRon beat me to the post again!

I do agree with JonRon on this anyway. (Yes, I know, I know, and Owner "would"). But seriously, while I will admit that "public property" comment does put my nose out of joint a little (feel free to shell out for some of the costs for my horses if you wish, then it wouldnt get such a reply), the simple fact of it all is, if the betting public had all this information, its not just us "owners" that are going to lose odds, but so are you. If everyone knew exactly everything, then you couldn't live by "odds on, look on" anymore, and there would be absolutely no value in the punt anymore.

Besides, a great deal of this information is already given to you anyway. For the most part. It really depends on how well a horse is rated. As owners, we cant predict a shocking run either. Owners with a horse thats walloped itself on something should, for all intents and purposes, scratch it and not run it. Wouldnt be very nice on the horses if it wasnt. Apart from that, when horses do have a bad run, and I can assure you, we dont nominate them to fork out for race day expenses and not bring home some prize money, for the most part, steward will inquire as to why, and all this information is readily available on the respective states websites. I know I never miss reading a stewards report.

Now I know with my horse, she isnt a poor horse. However, to everyone, she is rated poorly despite holding the Hawkesbury 1200 Class 2 record and the Canterbury 1200m Class 3 record. (Is very impressive seeing her name up there with Defier). Despite all that, the stewards were not worried over her last in her Open start. I cant control that. If something goes wrong with my horse then I am not about to take out a full page ad in the countries newspapers to tell everyone this. And why should I? I am lucky enough to be paying for a horse thats doing this well. My horse is in there to race. I dont tell you not to back her anymore than I am going to run around telling people to back her. Even if I think she will go well, I prefer not to be responsible for other peoples money if for some reasons even we dont know, she runs last again.

Before I respond I would like to emphasise that I took a bit of "literary licence" with some of my statements with a view to generating a diverse range of responses and it appears this has resulted.
gazman-yeah good point but you still think there will be no value to punters?
jonron-no offence taken, more importantly, I'm interested in your views.
1) where do you think the prizemoney comes from....from wagering turnover via the Govt, but still sourced from those long pockets of the long suffering betting public.
2) agree with you
3) lighten up.....do you really think that we punters actually believe that we "own" the horseflesh?
4) disagree with you here... this is the insular thinking which pervades this industry but I respect your right to your opinion.
5) I was relating to raceday change of tactics which, yes, is now brought to punters' attention by stewards on raceday. The officials should be commended for this.
6) true, in punting you get out of it what you put into it, a theme I have highlighted for some time now in my various threads.

Lady Frisco- the point(s) you make are valid but I can't agree with you on the value angle. We beg to differ on this matter but I appreciated the feedback.
Any other thoughts out there?

Cheers.

sounds like the day is treating you well.......back to blood counts ...i can see where your comming from but i think it would open up the door for some dodgy brother's work
the horse comes back with its blood count looking like its ready to rock,the public get know this information as well,so it becomes a short price fav,...what is to stop the connections taking that horse to track and flogging the gust out of it on race morning so it cant run a good race.....just a thought...cheers....gazman...

yeah gaz, howzitgoin,

sure, there is always that risk but the draconian solution is to "lock up" the horses the day before raceday. Probably not a practical solution but the officials probably have to deal with each issue as it arises.

Cheers.