this is correct. owners collect money in the form of purses, and by betting, if they choose. owners (or as you've stated, their representatives, trainers) want some semblance of an even playing field, and assigning weights works towards achieving that.
it's good to remember that sometimes, though finishing among the top four (the positions that receive purse money) is desirable, horses aren't always entered into a race to win.
a couple quick examples of alternate reasons for entering a horse in a race would be:
1) as a tune up (in preparation for an upcoming, more important race)
2) as a 'rabbit', to attempt to wear out the favorite. this occurs when one barn has a contending horse in a big race, and they elect to enter a second horse, a stablemate, and they instruct the jockey to take the horse to the front right away (while other jocks are 'rating' or holding back their mounts) in an attempt to draw the competition into a speed duel, thus wearing it out early and setting up a late run by the contending stablemate.
there are other reasons, as i said, but suffice it to say that not every horse entered into a race is there to win.
:)
mark |
