Speed Explosion - Track Records and outstanding times

[p plater]

Richard, I was always taught that size only matters to the female gender, now I must add Studs to the list as well.

[Richard prior]

Fairly sure that Courage under Fire might have been discarded by a few of the bigger Studs at first due to his size(14.2 hands) and then he landed in Alabar's lap. I guess it's the old story, don't overlook the little ones.

[mightymo]

Size has become less and less relevant, other than in a few peoples heads. As the breed has improved and the times and tracks have got faster, the smaller, more compact horses have come to the fore. The bigger horses simply cant bang out the miles week after week.

Baby Bling is only small and Bling it on is not much bigger

[Richard prior]

2 fine examples there Harvey, The smaller more compact horses certainly do seem to hold together more so than the bigger horses, especially with the younger brigade. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see many more track records set this season with the breed changing so quickly. I certainly think the the 1.50 at Menangle will be cracked a few more times this season but Smoken Up's 1.48.5 will be tough to crack, but not impossible in the right conditions.

[Triple V]

Size has become less and less relevant, other than in a few peoples heads. As the breed has improved and the times and tracks have got faster, the smaller, more compact horses have come to the fore. The bigger horses simply cant bang out the miles week after week.

Baby Bling is only small and Bling it on is not much bigger

[VVV] Right on the money Harvey. Unfortunately these simple facts will not stop people wanting to 'buy them by the Pound' at the Sales. How readily people forget or choose to overlook the fact that so many of the truly great Standardbred racehorses were/have been by no means big horses. Insanity.

[Texas]

Size has become less and less relevant, other than in a few peoples heads. As the breed has improved and the times and tracks have got faster, the smaller, more compact horses have come to the fore. The bigger horses simply cant bang out the miles week after week.

Baby Bling is only small and Bling it on is not much bigger

I'm NOT QUITE SURE, why, "bigger horses" would be at a disadvantage, "banging out the miles" !!??
Depending on ANATOMY (hence, length of stride, then, the strides per mile theory) would suggest, a bigger long striding horse would/should beat a smaller horse.....However, as history HAS PROVEN, smaller horses have come home first plenty of times, enough to make the breed evolve faster and faster (Chicken and egg Quandary, again), with more and more 'smaller sized' horses have come to the top...
Size of Horse, I feel, means Nothing....assuming everything structurally being relative to each other....Size/Frame/stride/bone.....one without the others is useless.
Before Bettor's Delight blew all the previous "Size Matters" protagonists out of the water, there was Cam himself, most of his sire sons, Good Time ect in USA and in Oz, who can forget Courage under Fire, Sinbad, Quinny, Koala King and so on......If Memory Serves, U.Scott and Light Brigade were only about 15h......but I stress, I am memorizing here...
Little Horses ARE just "Scarier" to drive Flat out around the smaller bends...they do create a "Buzz".....even for someone like me that has no adrenaline production!....

[broco]

its not the size that matters its the speed and heart put into that package that counts, give me a small horse over the huge ones anyday (one because they are normally more in my price range at the sales lol) but also because there is so much less impact on legs with a smaller horse, they often handle a turn much better and me being short I cant get a jolly bridle on the giants (yep have had to sit/stand on the tie up rail to get the bridle on a couple of not so cooperative ponies come raceday lol) have always had a lot more luck with the little ones than the bigger horses and find the smaller types often have more blistering speed than the big guys that need time to get it all together.
But each to their own I just wish I had one that could run 1.53 big or small

[Richard prior]

Monique, I have the opposite problem, I'm a touch under 2 metres tall(6'6'')and have no idea and would be flat out handling a Shetland Pony(lol) Thank god I can leave it up to the trainer. Bettor's Delight keeps on leaving a lot of nice mid size nice horses. He has 2 very nice fillies running around in NZ at the moment, Millie Sampson and the Aussie bred Willow. Both of these fillies have speed to burn and are beautifully gaited. I'm pretty sure that Bettor's was overlooked by a number of studs due to his size as well.

[Richard prior]

Good horses alright, Would be great to see them at Menangle. Beautide broke the race record at Newcastle on Saturday night and I believe a track record was broken yesterday at St Arnaud.

[Messenger]

I know this could have gone in the Speed Explosion thread but it seemed too fantastic a feat to risk burying with old news

Early season 3yo's leading the rest of the field in a procession and both smash the Track Record which had already been lowered at Horsham's last meeting (Speed Explosion thread)

http://www.harness.org.au/meeting-re...S251113&ms=vic