THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS GIVE INSTRUCTIONS TO RIDERS NO ISSUES. BUT

[Pacer 2]

Thoroughbred jockeys and Harness drivers are no different. Some want instructions and some dont. And it certainly depends on who's giving the instructions and who's receiving them.  Guys like Pletcher, Baffert, Burke, or Svanstedt can say anything they want and jocks/drivers listen.

[dougie]

Thoroughbred jockeys and Harness drivers are no different. Some want instructions and some dont. And it certainly depends on who's giving the instructions and who's receiving them.  Guys like Pletcher, Baffert, Burke, or Svanstedt can say anything they want and jocks/drivers listen.

When I had my four at Pompano, my trainer would chat with the drivers in the afternoon before the race that evening. I would listen intently to who they thought were the best in the race. Very rarely was my horses viewed as the best. LOL!

[Inside The Track]

Drivers only take instruction from other drivers. Have to make sure the bets get placed correctly.

[BrokenHeadPole]

It seems to be a one-way street. Not many will come over to you and say they messed up when racing 1st over when the horse can't race like that.

[JIDGE]

You guys are missing the POINT OF THIS THREAD


POINT

WHY DO HARNESS DRIVERS GET SO EASILY OFFENDED WHEN GIVEN DIRECTIONS FROM A TRAINER


THK YOU



PLS ANSWER ACCORDINGLY 

This is actually a very accurate topic. First off, I feel the pool is limited so they (top drivers) don't feel obligated to listen. If you don't use them, next start someone else will. But mainly -- there are very few trainer/drivers anymore, so the drivers don't want to be told how to drive a horse from someone who doesn't drive. In all fairness horses will act different in a race. Driving has become a specialized profession and a potentially dangerous one. Bottom line is the smart ones probably don't need instruction, and the marginal ones will have trouble executing the instructions because they are being outsmarted. Also, since it's usually the same group of drivers rarely will you see a horse hung or a driver not giving a fellow driver a hole. Racing has gotten very polite through the years. On the flip side do trainers listen to drivers when they suggest equipment changes or diagnose soreness or lameness?

[Meadow Ford]

IMHO
I bet the top catch drivers could write a best selling book about the funny, crazy, and or foolish instructions that grooms, owners and trainers have told them.
I bet the grooms, owners, and trainers could write a best selling book about the funny, crazy, and or foolish excuses drivers have told them.

[BrokenHeadPole]

Can you imagine if, before every race, the harness drivers did what jockeys do? Have an area where all the drivers speak to the owners/trainers in full view of the public. The public would be totally convinced that every race is fixed.

[simplify]

Wait you are comparing elite athletes that race on multiple surfaces/distances to a sport where you could be a 300 lb out of shape plumber and 'drive' a horse?
Can't fix stupid.

[dougie]

Wait you are comparing elite athletes that race on multiple surfaces/distances to a sport where you could be a 300 lb out of shape plumber and 'drive' a horse?
Can't fix stupid.

That's one of the best comments ever! LOL!

[JIDGE]

Wait you are comparing elite athletes that race on multiple surfaces/distances to a sport where you could be a 300 lb out of shape plumber and 'drive' a horse?
Can't fix stupid.

He's making an intelligent comparison between the relationships of trainers and jockeys/drivers. What's stupid in that? Surfaces, distances, and weight have nothing to do with it. Yes, we all know the Thoroughbred industry is more sophisticated than the working-class Standardbred industry, but both contain hard working people dedicated to their sport. Using your comparison, it appears 99% of the population is more accessible to actually participate in the Standardbred industry than the Thoroughbred industry.

[simplify]

Not 99% but a hell of a lot more than the .1% that can be a jockey