The Effect of Age on Thoroughbred Racing Performance

Abstract

Using a dataset of 274 male Thoroughbred racehorses in the United States, we study the effect of age on racing performance. Beyer speed figures, which are uniform measures of racing performance across distance and racing surface, are utilized in this study. A system of equations is estimated to determine quadratic improvement and decline in racing performance. We find that a typical horse’s peak racing age is 4.45 years. The rate of improvement from age 2 to 4 1/2 is greater than the rate of decline after age 4 1/2. A typical horse will improve by 10 (horse) lengths in sprints (less than 1 mile) and 15 lengths in routes (one mile or greater) from age 2 to 4 1/2. Over the next five years the typical decline is 6 lengths for sprints and 9 1/2 lengths for routes.

Ontario Racehorse Death Registry, 2003–2015: Descriptive analysis and rates of mortality

“…However, the picture is not simple. In some investigations, as here, risk is carried disproportionally by young and by older horses, while middle‐aged animals tend to have relatively low risk . Young horses may more frequently have problems with temperament and tractability, be predisposed to injuries reflecting skeletal immaturity and be more prone to fatigue, while older horses may suffer from cumulative damage.…”

Multivariate analysis of morphometry effect on race performance in Thoroughbred horses

“…Four-year-old Brazilian Thoroughbreds were significantly faster than horses of other ages for all race distances, except for 1100 m. However, the horses older than five years showed a significantly lower performance than the other ages for all race distances, excluding the 1100 m (Mota et al, 2005). Gramm and Marksteiner (2010) observed that peak age was 4.45 years and the lowest age was two for race performance in Thoroughbred in USA. On the other hand, race performance was not significantly affected by mother age.…”

HEpD: A database describing epigenetic differences between Thoroughbred and Jeju horses

“…When additional genomic information becomes available for the equine genome, such as a new genome assembly or newly identified genes, this information can be applied to our database. We used two breeds of horse, and each individual was sacrificed in their golden age as racing ability (Gramm and Marksteiner, 2010). The methylation patterns can change as developmental state, sex, and age dependent Martino et al, 2013), and this database could provide a reference methylation state for users in further studies.…”