Quote:
Originally Posted by linrom1
These are highly biased numbers: no great 4, or 5 year olds are racing at that age, they're all retired.
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That's probably one of the contributing factors to why Beyer figures seem to be declining a bit at the Grade 1 male level. More of the very best 3yos retire before we get to see their peak at 4 or 5.
Another interesting aspect of this is how lightly raced 2yos and 3yos are compared to years ago. Part of development is the a horse getting bigger and stronger as a result of physical maturity. However, part of it is getting more seasoned, tougher, and in better shape with racing experience.
2yos used to be campaigned harder and most Derby caliber horses were quite battle tested by spring. Now they are all so lightly raced, that could account for why the figures are lower but can sometimes then explode higher later in the year. Not only are they getting bigger and stronger, they are also getting a lot of seasoning under their belt that they formerly used to get earlier.
