Horse : Instant Success a three-year-old gelding.

Experiment : To race every 7 – 10 days for a period of time to see the effect on form

Background: Instant Success is a nicely conformed sound horse which is one of the reasons I chose him. He had won before at pay level, so I knew that class was not a factor when running in claimers at the free track. During this 7 week experiment I didn’t work him but trained him to get his meters right but leading into the experiment had worked him three times to bring him into the fitness range. He was plus 5 consistency all the way through and raced without accessories.

6 races in 53 days – approximate average a race every 9 days for 7 weeks.

Looking at these figures and considering he was coming off a 2-month break into the first race of the cycle his weight and weight loss was fairly consistent however he ran or wherever he finished. 

Condition, what a pointless meter he was still green after every race gaining between 2 and 4 on his original mark

Stamina, again a pretty consistent loss between 57 and 64 regardless of how he ran and where he finished.

My personal take from this, he lasted 4 races, then even though nothing outwardly changed as far as weight or meters go, he hit a wall. That wall was simply the number of races he had or the amount of works he didn’t have, it had nothing to do with meters or weight.

You will of course draw your own conclusions from my little experiment. Though I said his weight stayed consistent it did mean he didn’t grow any and growth seems to be a “written in” trait that cannot be changed. Thus, you could argue that as he wasn’t allowed to grow at his normal rate and that affected his ability, so in effect weight was a factor. Either way and whatever you conclude I hope this helps.

Categories: EDITORIAL, Racing Information