This week miRunners celebrates eleven birthdays, a big increase from last year where we were only celebrating six! On August 1st there will be extra love given to our thoroughbreds in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria as they are each classified as a year older.
On Thursday 1st August all thoroughbreds in Australia will turn a year older. Those yearlings coming into their first preps will be qualified for racing and those who are two-years-old will become 3YO race-ready.
We all know that not all thoroughbreds were born on the exact same day, so just how did it come about that each horse in Australia has the same birthday? And why is it on the 1st of August?
The selection of the 1st of August is explained by the breeding season. The gestation period of a horse is 11 months and the breeding season commences in September each year. Foals then hit the ground from August through to the end of December. It follows from this that all foals in this period are born in the same breeding season and therefore given the same age.
This breeding season also signals spring is just around the corner and spring is the mighty carnival, and is when the first 2YO races commence.
From a racing point of view a single birthday is to standardise horse racing – the single date makes it more uniform and a lot easier to control. Some people refer to it as “a bit like kids in school” – you have to have a single date to group students. In racing, it means a horse born in August will race with horses born from August through to the end of December.
It’s all about fairness of competition and creating an even playing field.
This is so important because many of the races held in Australia and globally are held in age groups. The single date is used so age grades can be applied for races. The 2YO classics are the Blue Diamond and the Golden Slipper – races where only 2YOs can enter.
At miRunners we have Shezawitness, Not a Royal Doubt, Zoushack, Gaelic Puzzle, Lyrical Girl and Bellarine Beauty turning three. We have been very lucky in having 5 of our 6 2YOs make the track this season – so congratulations to all stables on that amazing achievement!
We also have 5 horses turning two, meaning they are now eligible to race in the Spring! These include Snitzel x Typing, Written Tycoon x Sponsored, Exceed and Excel x Fate Rules, Hinchinbrook x Koonoomoo and Hinchinbrook x Gaze! We can’t wait to watch these horses progress over the coming months.
We wish all of our thoroughbreds the happiest of birthdays and send a big cheer to all the thoroughbreds in Australia: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thank you for everything you give to us, for us and for racing, life would be a lot less exciting without a racehorse.
An important note to remember when you are speaking to your Northern Hemisphere friends that this birthday is celebrated on January 1st. No birthdays for them this week!
Keen to get involved in thoroughbred ownership?
We have 6 horses currently available for purchase:
- Bellarine Beauty trained by Troy Corstens
- Hinchinbrook x Koonoomoo trained by Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
- Hinchinbrook x Gaze (NZ) trained by David Hayes
- Exceed and Excel x Fate Rules trained by Toby Edmonds
- Snitzel x Typing trained by Chris Munce
- Written Tycoon x Sponsored trained by Robert Heathcote
Experience the thrill of thoroughbred ownership with miRunners today!
