Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings are associated with Thoroughbred flat race performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Abstract: Thoroughbred breeders aim to have foals born early in the season, but scientific evidence on the advantages for race performance is scarce and contradictory. Unassigned: The association between date of birth and purchase price as foal/yearling, with race performance by the end of the second and third years of life of Thoroughbreds racing in flat races in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland (IRE) was assessed using negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial models on the entire 2014-2015 UK/IRE foal crops ( = 28,282). Unassigned: In total, 6666 and 9456 horses raced in UK/IRE flat racing by the end of their second and third years of life. Prize money and prize money per start decreased with each additional day beyond 1 January that the foal was born. Purchase price as foal and yearling was negatively associated with the number of races run, while it was positively associated with prize money and prize money per start by the end of the third year of life. Unassigned: Foals born early in the season had higher earnings by the end of their second and third years of life than foals born later. Differences were more marked among males than females. The most expensive horses sold as foals or yearlings ran fewer races but earned more prize money and prize money per start than less expensive horses. Results from this population-based analyses may inform strategies and management practices aiming to maximise horses' racing performance potential and increase financial returns.
© 2022 The Authors. Veterinary Record Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Veterinary Association.
Publication Date: 2022-09-23 PubMed ID: 36185419PubMed Central: PMC9508327DOI: 10.1002/vro2.43Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The study explored how the birth date and purchase price of Thoroughbred horses relate to their performance in flat racing by the end of their second and third years of life. The research found that horses born earlier in the year and those sold at higher prices as foals or yearlings performed better.
Research Methodology
- The study analysed the Thoroughbred foal crops from the United Kingdom and Ireland between 2014 and 2015, numbering to approximately 28,282 horses.
- The research model utilized was the negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial statistical models. These models are popular theoretical models for count data in many fields, including ecology, public health, and econometrics.
- From the gathered population, 6666 and 9456 horses raced in the UK/Ireland flat racing by the end of their second and third years of life respectively.
Main Findings
- The study indicated that prize money, as well as prize money per start, decreased for each additional day beyond January 1st that a foal was born. This suggests that Thoroughbreds born earlier in the year typically earned more money.
- The purchase price of a foal or yearling was found to be negatively linked with the number of races run. However, there was a positive correlation between purchase price and the total prize money and prize money per start by the end of the third year of life. This implies that high-priced foals or yearlings ran fewer races but earned more.
- It was found that gender played a role in these outcomes, with the differences in earnings being more pronounced among male horses than females.
Implications of the Study
- This study’s results may assist in forming strategies and management practices aiming to maximize the racing performance potential of horses and increase financial returns.
- These findings might influence breeders in their decision-making processes about the optimal time to breed horses, the pricing of foals and yearlings, and how many races to enter their animals in.
Cite This Article
APA
Arango-Sabogal JC, Mouncey R, de Mestre AM, Verheyen K.
(2022).
Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings are associated with Thoroughbred flat race performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Vet Rec Open, 9(1), e43.
https://doi.org/10.1002/vro2.43 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences The Royal Veterinary College Hatfield Hertfordshire UK.
- Département de Pathologie et Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire Université de Montréal Saint-Hyacinthe Québec Canada.
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences The Royal Veterinary College Hatfield Hertfordshire UK.
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences The Royal Veterinary College Hatfield Hertfordshire UK.
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences The Royal Veterinary College Hatfield Hertfordshire UK.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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