Hello Mudder, Hello Fodder

With the opening rainy weekend at Saratoga Race Course the topic of running in the mud comes to the forefront. Over the three day weekend at the Spa more than a dozen long shots hit the wire first and paid big returns for the high risk bettors. Any time you can bet $2 on a mudder and get $20+ in return that ain't no horse fodder!
Under normal circumstances when trainers see that the track will for sure be soft they have the assigned farrier (previously known as a blacksmith in days of old) change out the horse's shoes to what is known as a "mud calk". Mud calks have a design with usually 3 cleats to give better traction in the soft surface.The shoes give horses a whole lot more control and are mainly used on the front feet.
Some trainers, such as Nick Zito for example, has been known to use this type of shoe regardless of the conditions of the track, to be on the safe side.
But even with the added traction a handful of horses just don't like to run in the slop, would you? And, the opposite is true for another handful of thoroughbreds that love a good romp in the slop. Sometimes the soft, cool, wet surface feels good to an older with sore feet or slightly injured horse and it makes them feel young again.
Another factor concerning racing in the mud is vision. It's difficult for an animal to get sprayed with sand and muck for a half a mile and then get excited about racing. Remember, a horse can't just reach up and wipe out the eyes to clear their site. It's amazing how they can maintain vision at all at times. So often horses with the best ability can get discouraged when they are getting sand kicked in their face.
Even position on the track can make a difference between being in the money or an also ran. Imagine if you will the horse track with lanes. When the "muddy" sign is on, the inside lane by the rail is typically the gummiest. And, logically the further out, the better the footing is for the horse. With that in mind we should consider the starting gate position as an advantage or a disadvantage. Horses coming out of the inside where it's gummy or far outside where there is more distance to cover can have the disadvantage since horses not getting a good start will soon find mud flying in their face.
Some horses come from Dams and Sires with strong mud running lines. The Daily Racing Form shows that information in the "Tomlinson's Mudder & Turf Rating" section on each horse's past performance numbers. It can be a helpful tool on those dreary wet days at the track when you are scrambling to find a plodder not a speedster.
Whatever the reason, it is a natural fact that mud and slop changes the game enough to make it just a little less predictable than under ideal conditions. For handicappers and bettors it can be a nightmare with many turns and surprises. But when the sign on the board flashes anything less than "good", it's time to step out of your comfort zone, get a little creative and dig a little deeper into how they have run in the past on similar conditions and whether their father was a mudder or their mudda was a mudder.