well done corne spies

I think there is nothing wrong with bringing a baby out early if ready, however there must then be a time when that baby has had a few races and is then sent back to the farm to mature. Precocious babies can run early, but the trainers then keep hammering them, if they do well. They then rarely train on. More so with sprinters. Now stayers and late developers I only send into training as a three year old. Every horse on his/her on merits. Thats why your trainer must know his stuff !! The biggest thing for me is respect for your trainers decision as a horseman to make the right one.

I agree with Flash here, which is rare on this forum. But I also have to agree with Pirates. Its all about a balance, methinks. By this time last year, I had sent out a few Juveniles, with some winners from those. This year, I am probably looking at March, with my early ones. There are good reasons for that, along with the fact that the R2R Sale in Nov. gives the Owner 6 months to pay and even if the horse is ready earlier, the Owner may have budgetted along the lines of 6 months.... and no, I dont train for Chris van Niekerk, whose budget is obviously way different to the norm in my yard.

Last year, a very expensive and well bred yearling walked into my yard straight after book 1. The thinking was that the horse is bred with lots of speed etc and that I should work on his bone density, in case he comes early. This horse has not stopped growing and his knees are still wide open. So, as per Pirates very good points made, this horse will have to be brought along gently.

Bone density and the building of of it is a very important aspect of Training, something which the old school understood so well and which understanding has been proven absolutely correct by modern Science through extensive research, especially in Dubai. Pushing or Racing a young horse before it has achieved the correct levels of bone density has been proven to be, by far, the most predominant cause of a horse "not training on" later because of DJD (degenerative joint disease), knee chips and various forms of tendinitis (normally caused by compensation, in that the horse feels one shin and overworks the other)

In Australia, they are known to lunge WEANLINGS, with 20 to 30kg weights on their backs in order to agitate and thereby stimulate bone density to develop. (A horse's canon/shin bone is round at the age of two and oval at the age of 4, which is the result of bony growth around the shin, which is part and parcel of attaining bone density) In fact, in order to attain bone density, the bone has to first soften, in order to grow the width of the bone and then achieve proper density. Bone density is at its lowest after about 3 to 3,5 months of having a rider on its back. Thereafter, bone density escalates rapidly, with stimulation of the rider on its back and short fast work. It must be noted that bone density is actually the adaptation of the horse to the mass of the rider. A horse can stand in a paddock until it is 4 and achieve nothing, in terms of bone density. A horse galloping flat out puts down about 1800 psi without a rider on its back. Add a 58kg rider and it becomes 2600 psi....

As for the Aussies, they are very well known for horses that "dont train on" and the major flaw with the lunging of weanlings is that the horse is still growing rapidly at that age and many side effects have been recorded, extremely high percentages.

BUT, the bottom line remains that a number of young horses, mostly the smaller sprinting types, do come early, achieving bone density very early. Those horses are not going to develop further bone density with age and should run early. Amongst them will be very good sorts, who will train on too.

As for the title of this thread and Corne Spies, I believe that he has done the following -
1)Has an eye for the early types and buys them.
2)Has developed his own niche of the Market and is successful at it.
3)Has Owners who are happy with his approach.

So, well done Corne, I can learn a bit from you !

Very good insight - and a balanced post - thanks LG

it amuse me when pirates treat me like i am the newbie stupid. the "you cant switch a horse on and off like the machine" is all so one of the tired lame excuse trainers have been use for many year. thank you louisg for balancing the thread with the excellent post. if all trainer practice what they preach i will say the owner will be a happier client. the issue i try raise is you no treat one horse like another. i all so say if you have the dog in the stable do no cheat the owner for months pretend it need more time. is all

Agree in principle, Flash. It is a Trainers responsibility to tell the Owner immediately when he sees that a horse "shows me nothing". In the case of a Silvano, that would be quite normal. In the case of a Var sprinter that would be hugely worrying...

Wonderful thread, guys. Thank you for the input (Flash v Pirates and the inside info from Louis G)

As someone who would like to be an owner in the years to come, this is the type of info one needs to make that final decision

Well done

If a youngster is forward enough to show early speed and enough maturity to race then prep them and let them race......as long as they are not pushed into the race.....if they aren't coping they normally go shin sore anyway.Wonderful to win a 900m scurry.....doesn't mean they won't train on.Once they win throw them out for 3 months before the 2 year old features come along.Any baby that wins 1st time out has ability and some will train on and others not.Maybe it will have 3 or 4 runs as a 2 year old ,I think the problems occur when a 2 year old has 8 to 10 runs as a baby.......no juice will come out that lemon as a 3 year old.......

is the man against the boys these guy the best trainer of juvenile in gauteng by the distance

Pocket speaking ..... i love you mr Spies

Hit and spieeeeeeeees....<