How do they prep horses for longer races?
. . . since it’s that time of year.
Thanks
Usually it’s from the progression of races getting longer. Most horses don’t work farther than 6 furlongs no matter what distance the horse is running at in his next race. Here and there trainers will go 7 furlongs or even 1 mile, but it’s rare and would never be done repeatedly. So for a horse you know wants to run long, you would still enter a maiden race at 6/7 furlongs and then keep bumping up the distance. The horse would probably work 5/6 furlongs as a maintenance work in between races rather than the 3/4 furlong or no works of a sprinter.
http://thoroedge.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/ill-have-another-2-minute-lick-please/
An interesting article on IHA’s training process. Also read thru the comments, some interesting discussion on training across various US trainers and some info on how things are done overseas, where many of the races are longer.
Totally agree on longer gallops (at Laurel that meant 2 and 1/4), and 2 minute licks. I’ve also 2 minute licked horses 5/8ths and worked the last 1/4. A lot will depend on the soundess of the horse and what level race you’re aiming at.
This is something I’ve never quite understood. If a horse is a miler, why not regularly breeze the horse a mile? Is it too much wear and tear on their bodies or too much exertion?
[QUOTE=alspharmd;6334528]
This is something I’ve never quite understood. If a horse is a miler, why not regularly breeze the horse a mile? Is it too much wear and tear on their bodies or too much exertion?[/QUOTE]
Kind of like marathon runners don’t run the full distance when training. You empty the tank on race day, not before.
I like to gallop twice as far as the race. I have never prepped a horse to go a mile and a half so not sure exactly how I would handle it but I imagine I would two minute lick at least a mile depending upon how much bottom the horse had already. In this case with a horse coming off two races in two weeks I am sure there is plenty of bottom so I would probably stick with slow, long gallops then add a breeze the week of to open up the lungs.
Thanks, all. Lots.
I forget, how much slower is a gallop compared to a breeze?
Tx again.
I have the unusual luck/history that I did train a horse for a mile and a half race…at Belmont no less.
Now I should own up to the fact that it was a flat race at a point to point, but it was a mile and a half.
Regardless I worked Lad up to it very progressively.
We had the additional restriction that since technically Lad was only on the backside as a “pony” he theoretically shouldn’t be doing speed works that would require the clockers to put his time on the daily tab. So we stuck to speed works of under 3 furlongs. And did a LOT of 2 minute licking. And just for good measure a lot of cases of beer “happened” to find their way to the clockers tower. 
We always went to the training track (Winter/springtime) and nearly always the last 30 mins the track was open so we didn’t interfere with any “real” racehorses. By the end he was doing this routine:
Day 1: Jog 2.5 miles. Gallop 2 miles
Day 2-4: Jog 1.5 miles Gallop 2.5 miles.
Day 5: Jog 1 mile. Gallop 2 miles.
Day 6(Speed day): Jog 1 mile. Gallop 2 miles. (4 furlongs normal gallop, 3/4 mile stronger gallop, 3 furlongs 2 min lick, 3 furlongs higher speed.)
Now we would vary it up, but that was the basic idea.
We did long hacks around the backside and would school him over straw bales in the shed row when security wasn’t looking. LOL.
He did well and won his race. We did get a little help from the horse coming into the stretch who was going to win, but decided to veer into the picnic area instead.
But the long and short of it is that if you know you’re gonna try to go long, you’d better be planning and training for it months ahead of time.
~Emily
Thanks Emily ! You are always so helpful !
Congrats to Lad (& you) on the win. He sounds like a great horse!
