Is it just me, or does this two-year-old unraced filly seem pretty fast?
http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=9496362®istry=T
She certainly has fast works. So she probably has a trainer who likes them to work fast (not all do.)
Bear in mind that gate works (which most of those are) are often faster than regular works because the timer doesn’t start when the gate opens. It starts at a pre-set place whose distance from the gate varies depending on the track. So not only are the horses really rolling when the timer starts, they also may cover slightly less ground than horses that are working from the half-mile pole or the five-eighths pole.
Fast works make horse owners and handicappers feel good but they don’t necessarily equate to race winners.
Doesn’t mean diddly squat, unless the horse always works slow. Then you probably have a slow horse. What is good is to see a horse finish up faster than it started, or to work in a good time going easy. But the actual number does not mean a whole lot. And if horse A works faster than horse B, it does not mean that horse A is faster than horse B.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say they don’t “mean diddly squat”. The time is just a “reference point”. But a valuable “tool” for they trainer in this country. What is more far more important is “how” the horse went.
How they used themselves and the effort they had to put into it. Most good horses make it look effortless with no urging from the rider even if the “time” is just good to average. Plenty of lessor horses can put up a bullet work but their legs look like “egg beaters” coming down the lane. Just as importantly is how they “galloped out”. Did the horse continue on strongly with no urging from the rider? Or did it pull himself up as soon as the rider “dropped their hands”?
I don’t put a lot of stock into workout times unless I was on the rail watching them. It’s ALL about how they go about it. And how they “came out” of it. Which is something only the trainer and close connections will know.
When I was spending a lot of time in England, Ireland and France I never saw a trainer holding a timer. Their “take” on the horse was strictly visual.
In reference to the subject horse’s works. IME it is not usually a good “sign” when a horse has a lot of works in a row from the gate. With a 2 year old, a lot of horses knowing the trainer’s “style” is a big help when handicapping.
I wish Equibase would list the connections with the horse’s first work. Instead of its first entry.
It’s nice to know that “they can” go fast. It is about as indicative of future successes as free jumping a jumping prospect. It’s nice to know they can, and one can see how easily the performance is produced, how natural it is for the horse. But to do it in competition is quite another thing, and it does not necessarily follow that they will be superstars.
Other than that, what Gumtree has already written. If a two year old works fast every time, super easy, without being asked, gallops out strong, floats over the ground doing it, enjoys doing it just for fun, walks back to the barn happy and relaxed, is sound the next day, these are good signs. Humans get hopeful.
Forgot to mention whether or not the times are even accurate. LOL.
I have also read that another variable is the weight the horse is carrying in the workout. Some trainers use heavy exercise riders, some use light ones or jockeys.
The only variable that really matters is what the trainer asks for.
Unless you’re standing there watching the work, it’s all just guesswork.
That’s a Baffert filly and he works horses fast. But she obviously has speed - a 2 yr old filly to have the bullet at 5 furlongs at SA is impressive. Whether that pans out to be real quality vs “cheap speed”, who knows, but she will probably be better than average!
She’s Baffert’s. This makes me a bit excited. She must be good.
Her trainer wasn’t listed until yesterday because she wasn’t entered in anything yet.
She could be nothing or she could be something, but it’s certainly fun to watch/speculate 
[QUOTE=gumtree;8230678]In reference to the subject horse’s works. IME it is not usually a good “sign” when a horse has a lot of works in a row from the gate. With a 2 year old, a lot of horses knowing the trainer’s “style” is a big help when handicapping.
I wish Equibase would list the connections with the horse’s first work. Instead of its first entry.[/QUOTE]
Baffert, Martin Garcia, if that helps.
Pretty N Cool made her debut in a MSW today at Del Mar. She went off as the favorite and won by 4 1/2 lengths.
[QUOTE=LaurieB;8235453]
Pretty N Cool made her debut in a MSW today at Del Mar. She went off as the favorite and won by 4 1/2 lengths.[/QUOTE]
Got the highest Beyer of the year for a 2 yr old as well (95).
Take all workouts with a grain of salt, for many reasons. If it’s busy, the clocker may be trying to catch 4 other horses at the same time. Sometimes, they don’t catch you at all. Sometimes, they make a time up. Sometimes, they ask you what time you want them to put down. Sometimes, there is no clocker, just a piece of paper and you write down the time. Sometimes, the horse runs fast in the morning and slow in the afternoon. Sometimes, the horse runs slow in the morning and fast in the afternoon. So, unless you time it yourself, or you are the one in the saddle for the work, don’t put a lot of faith into the actual time of a published work.
QHJockee sums it up beautifully.
