De La Reys Grey ???

sugahorse

Yes, that's the way it should be, but in Gauteng there must have been a huge misunderstanding between the desiger and the implementer of the racing program

There are a number of reasons/theories as to how often to race a horse. Let's take it from the top and each clan member can judge for themselves:

It all starts off with quite an important issue relative to racing horses : How soon do you put them into training? Here there are two broad schools of thought;

One states that the horse needs the work and an element of pressure to develope. It is felt that classic horses always need to win at two etc.,

The other school of thought prefers to avoid racing altogether for as long as possible in order to allow the horse to mature.

I tend to subscribe to the latter school and my record with soundness would suggest that there is merit in my thinking.

When it comes to racing 'volume' posters generally compare SA with the UK. This is OK but you are missing a point - the UK has a distinct season so horses with classic potential usually are on easy street for much of the jump season. I have argued for a South African off season - even if only a month - for years. Everybody, including the horses, get a break and an opportunity to do African Horse Sickness etc.

UK horses possibly have longer careers for a number of reasons - not least being ; Thet have an off season and they tend to race on kinder surfaces compared to South Africa.

Racing a horse regularly is no problem provided the animal is sound and fit. Unlike humans horses are designed to run. So given that they physically rest in a racing environment for about 22,5 hours per day it is not necessarily cruel or abusive to given them a racecourse outing more than once every 4-6 weeks.

The hard and fast rules referred to in other posts are often indicative of very poor individual attention being given to each animal. I once had a trainer who told me that ALL his horses worked to a 6 week cycle irrespective as to whether they were sprinters or stayers! Needless to say he does not appear in the national top 10!

One of the most telling comments made elsewhere in this thread is with regard to medication: One of the major reasons why I have all but stopped owning horses is because of what appears to be the rampant use of substances which are prohibited if found present after racing. Here we have horses with issues being treated with masking agents and the usual steroids and cortisones. The horse may well race but the owner quickly breaks down under the burden of vets bills! To say nothing of the horse's future health prospects. Administering these substances requires careful planning and monitoring of racing dates so as to ensure that they are 'out of system' should testing occur.

South Africa at present appears to be going in the wrong direction regarding medication. In the USA - where 'drugging' as they call it - is partially legal and universally rampant - there are strong moves afoot to change racing surfaces to kinder materials in order for American racing to get back to being drug free. Here we have strong support to legalise 'bleeding' medications etc.,

If history is any guide we will probably be legalising these treatments at the same time that everyone else is banning them.

Good post, Garrick.

Something to consider regarding the drug issue is what Germany is doing. Essentially, in order to stand at stud in Germany, a stallion must have obtained a rating of 115 or more, must be free of any major physical/confirmation and wind problems, and must never have run on medication (I'm not cetain of the specifics, but that seems to be the general idea).

It seems like these restrictions are paying off as they had 31 horses make the 2009 World Rankings. From around 1000 foals per annum, that's a huge effort (3.1%). At around 1.5%, only Great Britain also broke the 1% mark. By contrast, France breeds around 5000 foals per annum and only had 32 horses make the list.

My guess is that the drug-free factor is playing a large role. Consider how well Silvano, a German-bred, is doing over here as a sire as well - currently a comfortable second on the stallion log behind Jet Master but with easily the best win percentage of the top 20.

Great comments, Sabre.

Champion performance never did and never will come out of a syringe.

So well said Garrick.
It is about time that the substance abuse in our racing be eradicated i absolutely abhor it.

One trainer was feeding my colt copious amounts of bicarbonate of soda and then had the audacity to insult my intelligence by telling me he was giving it stop him being coltish, how bizarre,the stories are endless.
How many good horses are slipping through the system because of substance abuse.

There are no shortcuts so if u are not truly passionate about horses and hard work u in the wrong game, the last seven yrs has been the greatest love affair of my life , but it is coming to an end soon,I have 1 horse left in training and he is 7 yrs old and in SA that's over the hill and 2 magnificent Silvano yearlings which i think i will be sending them to my friends riding school.

I came into racing with a dream but sadly it was just a dream .