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Racing Two-Year-Old ThoroughbredsVeterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage Explains Equine Muscle, Bone GrowthRace track on site Thoroughbred veterinarian and surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage says racing two-year-olds benefits bone and muscle growth in young horses.
For some time, veteran veterinarian and surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage has taken the stand that racing young horses is beneficial to their growth and health. This racing theory was recently confirmed by Dr. Sheila Lyons, an equine sports medicine expert who is based in Florida and Kentucky and has conducted studies on muscle hypertension. New technical research that detects early fracture risks, reported by veterinarian Dr. Wayne McIlwraith of Colorado State University, also concludes that normal bone and muscle growth in horses should not be interrupted by two-year-old inactivity if a horse is expected to become a racer at age three. Dr. Bramlage Spoke About Two-Year-Old Growth in MayTaking a "the data shows" approach (The Blood-Horse, "The Racing of Two-Year-Olds", September 13, page 4523) when addressing The Jockey Club Round Table on Matters Pertaining to Racing in August, Dr. Bramlage reiterated points about growth in young Thoroughbreds that he had stated in response to detractors on the subject at the time of the collapse and death of the filly Eight Belles. On Kentucky Derby day this season, Eight Belles broke down on the track in a still mostly unexplained collapse. The star three-year-old gray filly could not stand and was immediately euthanized on the track even before her trainer, Larry Jones, got word of the tragedy. Speculation soared that the filly was unsound, that drugs were involved, that the practice of racing two-year-olds was unhealthy. Jones, who had never been suspended for a drug-related violation, denied such reports, and Dr. Bramlage stated that racing two-year-olds was actually beneficial to their growth. He said, "As soon as Thoroughbreds are physically mature, they should start effective training. It is most desirable not to let the bone formation apparatus atrophy after growth and then require it to be re-created," (U.S. Today newspaper, sports, May 6, 2008). At The August Jockey Club Round TableThe data presented by Dr. Bramlage at the August Jockey Club Round Table shows specifically that horses raced at two years of age have had more lifetime starts than horses who didn't race until after the age of two. In addition, Dr. Bramlage presented historic facts of two-year-old racing that cast off the notion the practice has recently developed. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile contests raced at distances up to 1-1/16 miles is not a new concept, Dr. Bramlage said. In 1930, two-year-olds Twenty Grand and Equipoise squared off in the 1-1/16 miles Pimlico Futurity, a race which grew to become the primary win for contestants later voted to two-year-old championships. In 1953, Dr. Bramlage cited, the Garden State Stakes became the racing world's richest contest and was on the same level in fall scheduling and prestige as today's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, which was first held in 1984. Records show that 15 colts who participated in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile races from 1984 through 2005, returned their three-year-old seasons to win at least one of the Triple Crown races. This could not be the case if racing at age two is harmful, Dr. Bramlage pointed out.
The copyright of the article Racing Two-Year-Old Thoroughbreds in How to Race Horses is owned by BarbaraAnne Helberg. Permission to republish Racing Two-Year-Old Thoroughbreds in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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