Start of four-year-old campaign provides food for thought

Even though it now clashes with the Dublin Racing Festival, the opening weekend of four-year-old maidens seems to draw a bigger crowd than most January point-to-points. Entries rose this year and runners were plentiful. 

The opener at Ballinaboola on Sunday didn’t disappoint at first glance, with three horses crossing the line together in a thrilling finish. Two heads separated them, with only four and a half lengths back to the fourth.

Ballinaboola hosted its four-year-old maiden over two and a half miles, whereas the Bellharbour contest on the same afternoon was over three miles. 

That western venue saw an evenly run race completed in a time only a second above the average time for the day. In truth, this is slightly slow as four-year-old races tend to be the fastest race of the day given that the runners enjoy the best of the ground and carry the lightest weights. 

On this occasion, allowing for a field of debutants, we must assume the pace was sensible, in relative terms at least. 

With all other races at Ballinaboola being contested over three miles, there was no direct comparison for the four-year-old maiden on the clock, but some correlations are not just possible but notably informative. 

From the first fence in the four-year-old maiden to the same position a circuit later, it was five seconds slower than the next race, which was run in the closest conditions. What this means is that the four-year-olds were 22 lengths slower on their first circuit than the five-year-olds, who had already covered half a mile. 

This is perhaps to be expected as a field of debutants found their feet. They didn’t have long to learn, however, as a circuit later it was the business end of the race, and here from the home bend to the line, the four-year-old maiden clocked a time 18 lengths quicker than the following split of the five-year-old maiden.

Given that there are three fences in the straight, an exceptional speed was being asked of these youngsters, as the clock confirms that these two-and-a-half-mile maidens are completely different from the three-mile contests for the same age group. 

It is for connections and the regulator to decide which is preferable, but given the link between speed and falls, along with the commercial nature of the sport where the distance from the winner to the runner-up matters, it is hard to see how these races are a benefit to the industry.  

Weekend fixtures

Saturday

Kirkistown, first race 1pm

Sunday

Comea, first race 12.30pm
Tallow, first race 12.30pm

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