Got a four-year-old who hosed up in a novice hurdle at Ascot and was given a mark of 156. Unfortunately, whenever I try to run him left-handed he hangs right and gets beaten by horses rated around the 100 mark.

I had earmarked him for the World Hurdle and then later in life the Gold Cup but as he can't go left-handed, it's pointless running him at the Cheltenham Festival, or even Aintree for that matter. I've tried a visor etc but it makes no difference.

I know in real life a trainer can work on this and often, with experience, the horse will straighten up and be fine either way around.

So has anyone had experience of this and does it correct itself when the horse gets older? Do cheekpieces, visors etc work? Or should I just get a season ticket for Ascot, Huntingdon etc and give up?

I don't see how this requires technical support. It appears to be a realistic aspect of the game.

Edit: It's been moved now.

All of my NH horses hang to one side or the other. I think it's the jockey. For me it happens even in the back straight. They don't seem to like to be near another horse so pull further and further out, losing more ground when they need to come back in again. I always figured it was the way the jockey was programmed to ride the horse and it really annoys me. As a horse could be leading only to sacrifice the lead by being pulled so far out, as you described too. I'd keep trying. It may be a bug or something that has been programmed in. If the horses didn't like going left handed your jockey and head lad would tell you. I'd keep trying if I were you.

Every now and then you will get a horse that will not act in a certain direction. Sometimes the jockey will tell you that the horse doesn't like going left or right handed. Just as in real life, some horses prefer to go left handed and some right. Personally the more true to life the game is, the better. I would suggest that you just accept that you will only be able to run in a certain direction with a particular horse and enter it accordingly if you want it to run at its best.

It's just like in real-life, I think it's a fantastic aspect of the game. Denman does not like going right handed in real life, which is why he loves Newbury and Cheltenham, and not Punchestown as we saw at the back end of last season!

This is a little off topic but I'm sure that Harry Findlay said after he got beaten at Kempton that he would NEVER go right handed again because it was wasting his great talent. Just goes to show Harry Findlay is really only in it for the money, rather than for the well being of the horse. Makes you wonder what P.F.Nicholls' real motives are...

are u for serious supercat?
he said that after denmans poor performance which many good judges put that run down as the horse being in poor form after his surgery
cant see the problem letting him try once more when he was fit and well.
After all when the horse first annonced himself on the nh scene was a awsome performance from his novice hurdling days at wincanton
Dont forget mate wincanton is a right handed track!!!!

Of course I am for real. I am not a P.F.Nicholls fan, although I'd be interested to read his autobiography, I am also not the greatest fan of Harry Findlay. I disagree with a few things he seems to regularly do with his horses. However I'm not about to get into a debate about it because I, as you, am entitled to my opinion on the matter whatever it may be.

Have you tried running at against the rail ? Obviously on the inside other horses will be on its right hand side which may stop it hanging.

That can be difficult though because often jockeys will get boxed in. Also I can never work out which side in the stands side and which is the near side. Even though I know where the stands are on most of the courses the jockeys still seem to go on odd sides if I tell them to use a particular side of the course.