| Upgrading Your Horse | Information The CCTRA is dedicated to educating members about the exciting sport of Thoroughbred racing. Right now our main duty is to oversee such large racing events as the Triple Crown, Triple Tiara, and the Breeders' Cup, as well as help members set up realistic race meets. Interested in designing a race, or just learning more about Thoroughbred racing? Thoroughbred racing (also known as flat racing) is a big industry in the world, though it can take many years to understand all the facts and trends in racing. Sometimes I don't even understand it all, but here are a few facts that I have picked up along the way and would love to pass on to you. All info on this page is based on the standards of American Thoroughbred racing, as governed by the Jockey Club. General Information Thoroughbreds must be 100% pure to be registered and allowed to race (no non thoroughbred even way back when, though I don't think we have to worry about that in Clip-Clop). The most common colors of race horses are bay, brown and chestnut - roans and greys are also commonly seen - white (true white with pink skin) and black racers are very rare. Dilute and sabino colors are starting to pop up, but these tend to be more common as trendy sport-horses, and rarely appear among the racing Thoroughbreds (though there seems to be a lot of them in c-c). Thoroughbred breeding is always done through live cover. Artificial insemination is illegal in the real world, and there seems to be no problem with it in C-C. Any TB foal conceived through AI in the real world would not be allowed to race or be registered with the JC. I am not sure if any rules have been decided about this yet in C-C. All Thoroughbreds celebrate their birthday on January 1st (and the same goes for all the horses in the C-C registry). Breeders try to have their mares foal in the spring, but if they try to have the foal born in January and they miss, a foal born in December will be considered a yearling on Jan. 1st even if they are only a few days old! They would always be at a disadvantage then, racing against much older horses. The race horses you see on TV, the "best", usually race every 4 weeks, sometimes 3. This is because racing is very hard on these horses, as they are still not fully grown in most cases. Ungraded horses, or horses at smaller, less rich tracks, may be forced to race more often for their owners to make money, but this isn't good for the horse. Here in C-C the general rule is once every seven days. In training, horses usually run every day, except maybe after a big race. However, in training they never run as fast or as far as they would in a race. They might do a mile or two at a slow gallop, or do a fast 1 furlong. There are several types of races, that indicate the quality of the horses and the amount of prize money. Obviously, there are fewer horses in the higher grades (better races). GI (grade 1) is the best (usually what you see on TV), GII (grade 2) is next, then GIII (grade 3). If a horse wins one of these, they are a "graded stakes winner", and that's a very good thing. :) Below these are ungraded races, and claiming races. Claiming races are when you enter your horse in a race in which all horses in the race may be purchased by any other of the horses owners for a set price, like $20,000. These are only a good idea if you want to get rid of your horse, or REALLY need the prize money and are willing to risk loosing your horse (we have no such races in C-C yet, maybe once intrest increases). Many races are measured in furlongs. There are 8 furlongs in a mile. A sprint race is about 5 to 7 furlongs. A regular race might be 1 mile, 1 1/16 mile, or 1 1/4 mile. A 1 1/2 mile is a long race, but is done. Usually a horse only runs sprints OR distance (the regular races), since most horses are better at one or the other. Another type of race is a turf race. These are run on grass. They can be the same distances as sprints or regular races. Again, some horses are better at running on grass than on dirt. A race can have as few as two horses, up to about 25. Usually any more than 12 or 15 is a little croweded in RL, and in many races in C-C 15 is the limit (for the race holders sanity's sake). A racehorse in real life is never bred until they are retired. While this has been a little over looked in C-C, I strongly discourage breeding your horses while they are racing. Mares can't be expected to drop a foal then turn around and race, plus most race horses are too young to be realistically breeding anyway. I usually discourage any breeding of stallions as well, though I know I have done it in small amounts myself for special people or under certain cercumstances, but it is not something I plan on making a habit and I don't think you should either. This is why the stud book will only be excepting retired racers, or non racing Thoroughbreds. Ages and Genders In Racing Two Year Olds This is the earliest age a Thoroughbred may start running at, and most 2 yr old races don't start until a little later in the year. Remember, 2 year olds are still VERY young and have a lot of growing to do, they are still babies. I usually don't run my 2 year olds until atleast May, sometimes later depending on the horse. 2 year old races are always gender split (fillies OR colts, not both), and in the late spring/early summer are never longer than 6 furlongs. Somewere around 4 to 6 furlongs is good for 2 year olds during that time of the year. A small number of horses in the race is good because 2 year olds are inexperienced, and with that many green horses running, accidents can happen.. Later in the season they increase in distance, and by October can run 1 mile and 1/16. Three Year Olds This is the "prime" racing year, though many horses are not yet fully developed. This is the year a horse can run in the Triple Crown and Triple Tiara. At this age, there are sprints, turf, and regular races, and most horses have developed their specialty by now. In the spring, most races are 1 1/16 or less. The Kentucky Derby is often the first longer race (1 1/4) race for 3 yr olds. Four Year Olds and Up Unfortunately, many horses retire after their 3 yr old season (though that does not seem to hold true in C-C), because they are more valuable for breeding, or because of injury. There are still quite a few horses who race at 4, 5, and 6, and even get better at that age, like Cigar. At this age, horses may be "handicapped" against each other...better horses might have to carry more weight during the race to slow them down and give the other horses a chance (though no way to do this has come to mind yet. Any ideas are welcome). Very few horses race after the age of 5 or 6, as racing is very difficult and they deserve a rest. Colt: a male horse 4 years of age or younger Filly: a female horse 4 years of age or younger Horse: a male horse 5 years of age or older Mare: a female horse 5 years of age or older Gelding: a castrated male of any age Four year old Thoroughbreds are still considered "colts" and "fillies". A male horse five years or older is *never* called a "stallion" if he's still racing. Instead, he is called a "horse". So The Vampire Louise de Point de Lac (owned by Fox Fyre Stables), this year would have been listed as a "5 year old horse". Last year he would have been listed as "4 year old colt." Race Names There are certain designations given to races which identify that race as being run at a particular distance, on a particular surface, or for a particular sex or age. This is not a set thing, and you can name a race whatever you like, but here are a few terms you might hear. Derby: For 3 year olds only, open sex Oaks: For 3 year old fillies only Handicap: May be for 3 year olds, 3&up, or 4&up. *Never* for 2 year olds Mile: a mile Sprint: will be less than one mile Turf: will be run on grass Futurity: For 2 year olds only Distaff: for fillies & mares only Juvenile: for 2 year olds only So when you're looking into names for your race meet, or are entering a race meet, keep this in mind! You shouldn't have a "Futurity" open to five year olds, or a "Mile" run at a mile and one eighth, or an "Oaks" open to males! In real Thoroughbred racing, races are divided up by age in the following manner: 2 year olds, 3 year olds, 3 year olds & up, and 4 year olds & up. You will *never* see a race allowing 2 year olds to race against older horses. Three year olds mostly race against other three year olds until about September, when they start entering races for 3 year olds & up. However, there are races for 3 year olds & up run as early as January. Races limited to 5 year olds & up or even older horses are not carded because in real life there are simply not enough older horses still running to fill those races. To further divide the races by sex, there are the following categories: 2 year olds, 2 year old fillies, 3 year olds, 3 year old fillies, 4 year olds & up, 4 year olds & up fillies & mares. While the "2 year olds", "3 year olds", etc races are "open sex", females usually do not enter these races unless they are *very*, *very* good. In fact, I can't think of a single instance of a 2 year old filly racing against males, so keep this in mind. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile, for 2 year old colts and geldings, *is* specifically for 2 year olds males only, but it's a rare race for younger horses that is restricted to males. Note: these guidelines pertain to Thoroughbred racing as governed by the North American Jockey Club, which covers the US and Canada. However, they also apply for the most part to racing as run by most other countries. Any question or comments? Please let the dragon know! Layout 2006 Shahla Part of Clip Clop, a sim game