I’m not trying to open a can of worms, but I think there are many misconceptions about 2 year old racing.
Specifically, I’d like to talk about how many races most of them race their two year old year, what is the earliest they are raced (as in month) and how frequently. Also, how many 2 year old stakes races are there, and how old - biologically speaking - are the horses that run in them?
Semi-recently in the news: University of Sydney (AU) study - “Racing start for two-year-old thoroughbreds not detrimental”
University of Sydney researchers have addressed this issue in the most comprehensive study yet undertaken to determine whether the age at which thoroughbreds start their career has an effect on the length of their career.
They found no detrimental effect on a horse’s career if it started racing as a two-year-old, and that thoroughbred horses beginning their careers in Australia at younger ages were more likely to have longer careers than those starting their careers later in life.
“This is the largest and most extensive study of its type as we investigated the careers of over 115,000 Australian thoroughbred racehorses and evaluated them throughout a 10 year period,” said Natasha Hamilton, the supervising author at the University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science. Dr Hamilton is co-supervisor of PhD candidate Brandon Velie, lead author of the study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal.
Overall, the research suggests that the racing and training of two-year-old thoroughbreds is not harmful as long as there is an awareness that combining an inappropriate training regime with a genetic predisposition to injuries can result in injuries that prevent the horse from continuing or beginning its racing career.
“We still advise caution when introducing young horses to racing,” Dr Hamilton said.
“It is important to note that this study is not able to claim causation and does not mean that any thoroughbred horse can be raced at two. Instead we observed that for those thoroughbreds that have started racing at two no ill effect can be detected.”
[QUOTE=Freebird!;7084414]
I’m not trying to open a can of worms, but I think there are many misconceptions about 2 year old racing.
Specifically, I’d like to talk about how many races most of them race their two year old year, what is the earliest they are raced (as in month) and how frequently. Also, how many 2 year old stakes races are there, and how old - biologically speaking - are the horses that run in them?[/QUOTE]
Your questions are too broad to be adequately answered because every horse, every trainer, and every owner is different. There is no one thing that most of them do.
The earliest 2yo races on the two coasts and in KY are in April. I believe they start racing 2yos in February in New Mexico (very short sprints.) In some states–if not all–horses must have passed their 2nd birthday to be eligible for entry.
How many starts? These days usually under six. But, back in the day, horses ran much more as 2 yr olds. Stymie - 28 starts, Whirlaway - 16 starts, Count Fleet - 15 starts, Secretariat, Riva Ridge, Affirmed - 9 starts. All horses that had long careers and/or retired sound. To compare, Shanghai Bobby made 5 starts, out with an injury as a 2 yr old. Violence - 3 starts, retired with an injury as a 3 yr old.
When do they start? California has some 2 furlong springs in March, Keeneland in April has 4.5 furlong races. Of course there are February 2 yr old sales that have horses breezing 1/8 - 3/8 mile as well.
How old? Have to have reached actual 2nd birthday to race
How many? I don’t know, but there are a lot.
How many races - and what age - depends completely on the horse and its people.
Our best horse was a February foal who first raced in May. He went on to race 8 times at age 2 (won 2, including a stake, and 5 seconds), raced through age 7, retired sound after 58 starts, and is now a saddle horse. at age 13. They brought him up to the track as part of a “where are they now?” series our track is doing. He looked like he could’ve gone into the gate and won THAT DAY. 
My boss got in a 2YO in late May who had sold at Timonium 2YO in training sale. Usually the horses from the 2YO sales need time, but this one - a May foal whose birthday was 2 days before the sale - shipped cross country and went straight into training. He may or may not race this year, but he’s in training and doing just fine.
Our track has had to cut its stakes schedule due to lack of horses (and money.) This year there are three 2YO stakes for each gender and two open (either gender) 2YO stakes. The open races - one a sprint and one a route - are held on the same day, so nobody’s going to run in both.
On the flip side, I remember this horse’s 2YO season just made me angry. He was running SO often, short races, long races…they ran the little guy in EVERYTHING. And you can see he didn’t have much talent and didn’t race for very long. http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=4474080®istry=T
[QUOTE=Slewdledo;7084651]
How many races - and what age - depends completely on the horse and its people.
Our best horse was a February foal who first raced in May. He went on to race 8 times at age 2 (won 2, including a stake, and 5 seconds), raced through age 7, retired sound after 58 starts, and is now a saddle horse. at age 13. They brought him up to the track as part of a “where are they now?” series our track is doing. He looked like he could’ve gone into the gate and won THAT DAY.
My boss got in a 2YO in late May who had sold at Timonium 2YO in training sale. Usually the horses from the 2YO sales need time, but this one - a May foal whose birthday was 2 days before the sale - shipped cross country and went straight into training. He may or may not race this year, but he’s in training and doing just fine.
Our track has had to cut its stakes schedule due to lack of horses (and money.) This year there are three 2YO stakes for each gender and two open (either gender) 2YO stakes. The open races - one a sprint and one a route - are held on the same day, so nobody’s going to run in both.
On the flip side, I remember this horse’s 2YO season just made me angry. He was running SO often, short races, long races…they ran the little guy in EVERYTHING. And you can see he didn’t have much talent and didn’t race for very long. http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=4474080®istry=T[/QUOTE]
What happened to him, do you know?
University of Sydney researchers have addressed this issue in the most comprehensive study yet undertaken to determine whether the age at which thoroughbreds start their career has an effect on the length of their career.
They found no detrimental effect on a horse’s career if it started racing as a two-year-old, and that thoroughbred horses beginning their careers in Australia at younger ages were more likely to have longer careers than those starting their careers later in life.
“This is the largest and most extensive study of its type as we investigated the careers of over 115,000 Australian thoroughbred racehorses and evaluated them throughout a 10 year period,” said Natasha Hamilton, the supervising author at the University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science. Dr Hamilton is co-supervisor of PhD candidate Brandon Velie, lead author of the study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal.
I’m wondering the value of this study, since it is comparing two groups which are not controlled. (Yes, I see they posted a disclaimer about causality). The thing is, in reference to the group of horses which started later in life, we don’t know the reason for their late starts. What number were started late because of the owners’ training philosophy/standards and what number were started late due to behavioral problems, immaturity or unsoundness problems? The group may have included a disproportional number of unsound/injured/accident prone/behaviorally unsuited horses whose injuries or problems delayed their racing career. If that is the case, it would be expected that those horses would have shorter careers, and their numbers would skew the statistical results.
On the other hand, the group of horses which started at two would logically include only the sound and mentally capable horses.
Thanks guys - that really helps! I’m in a FB group where several of the members think that racing is evil, and cruel, but some of the things that they believe about it, just are not true, so I wanted to clear those up.
So I know this thread is certainly more geared toward the TB crowd, but just for information sake…“baby races” don’t even start in standardbreds really until June of 2yos’ years. That being said, there’s no short sprint races or anything; everyone has to be ready to go a mile.
More broadly, I think it depends on the horse and the connections. Some, if pushed, will go plenty fast early; some can sustain that and some can’t. Some trainers are known “butchers,” so to speak; getting as much as possible out of a horse early with no concern for the longevity of the horses. In general, you best have deep pockets (and less regard for the animal) for that philosophy!
I am often aghast at how fast (and how early) horses are going; but we have our horses with a very conservative trainer. Few of ours even race at two.
OP, there is much to cause problems when any horse is pushed too fast and too long. I dislike seeing two year olds doing anything involving speed, watching the aqha futurities is enough to make you gag.
There was a discussion somewhere on this board about the research by Dr Deb Bennett.
MY two year old this year has started 3 times already. He ran 4,3 and win. He was foaled May22. He has just handled everythihng well and got himself ready early.
It’s all a little trainer dependent, but personally I don’t race many two year olds. I have no problems with racing them at that age, I just don’t come across many that are both mentally and physically ready. Sometimes if they are physically ready but not quite mentally I will but them in a race in the fall of their two year old year just to help them get the idea. Generally a six furlong event, five furlong races are too speedy and I don’t want them running that hard or being defeated too badly by speedsters and discouraged.
Right now I have one that has the idea and a bit of talent but just isn’t physically there yet, so we wait. It sucks because he was nominated to some little stakes this fall and he is talented, but his body just isn’t there yet.
Like Big_Tag said, some trainers are known butchers. I can’t stand seeing a horse in the paddock that is still the size of a yearling and obviously growing. Then again, some would probably say my horse are all too chubby.
I always started them at relatively the same time of year and they are ready when they are ready. Sometimes that was as a two year old, sometimes they were closer to four by the time we finally got in a race following some set backs. The earlier in their two year old year you start, the easier the races tend to be as the only race that fills is the maiden special weight so lots of people shoot to be in the first one or two written that year. The problem is the winner may have to wait a few months until they have ran that race enough times that there are enough winners to fill a never won two.
[QUOTE=Slewdledo;7084651]
Our track has had to cut its stakes schedule due to lack of horses (and money.) This year there are three 2YO stakes for each gender and two open (either gender) 2YO stakes. The open races - one a sprint and one a route - are held on the same day, so nobody’s going to run in both. [/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=WhiteCamry;7086066]
A “route” is generally a two-turn event at any track, or a race over a mile.
There are numerous studies available about 2 year old training/racing and the necessary bone remodeling induced by it. Just google it and you’ll find hundreds of articles.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
