Horse racing is one of the oldest forms of entertainment, dating back thousands of years and serving as a simple contest between two horses based on speed or stamina. Over time it has grown from an innocent pastime enjoyed by leisure classes into an enormous public-entertainment business with sophisticated electronic monitoring systems and big money on offer for winning horses – but its basic principle has remained: first horse across the finish line wins!
At the start of every race, horses parade from their stables into the paddock where they are saddled and saddled for inspection by stewards and patrol judges. Once jockeys mount their mounts they receive instructions from trainers; once racing begins stewards verify the identity and weight of each horse and, should there be any close finishes, will examine films of it and make their decision accordingly.
Before organized racing was introduced in the US, racing events were typically limited to local affairs with limited runners and numerous rules and regulations. As demand for races increased during the late 18th century, more standardized races emerged with specific eligibility rules for breeds and ages of horses (for instance King’s Plates races for six-year-olds carrying 168 pounds (61 kg). They would compete over four mile heats where winners needed two victories before being declared winners).
Racing today can be an emotionally and physically taxing endeavor for horses of any breed or condition, even those trained and healthy enough to race themselves. Doping scandals and injuries abound in this highly-competitive sport; and many horses who reach their prime end up in slaughterhouses regardless of owner wishes. Veterinarian care needed to keep these animals alive is costly while their immature bones and ligaments put at constant risk for further injury.
As racehorses compete against horses from different ages and breeds, the question of how their performance changes with age becomes integral to maintaining the sport. Beyer Speed Figures have become an effective method for measuring horse performance, which compares one horse’s performance against that of its peers. This article presents a statistical analysis of Beyer figures to establish the rate at which horses improve or decline from their peak age into later years in both sprint and route races. Analysis reveals that, on average, horses achieve their peak speeds during their final three-year-old year and then experience a rapid decrease. Furthermore, sprint races see greater improvement compared to route races, and this difference can be explained by each horse’s career mean speed figure.