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Congrats to this year's Pony Derby winner!

Qrispy - Jockey: Inna Smedberg

See more photos from the Pony Derby in the right hand column.

Tool that makes racing fair
Weight for age / 'Aldersvekt' explained

In horse racing, weight for age scales are used to help determine the weight that a horse should carry during a race based on their age.

The idea behind the weight for age scale is that younger horses are generally less developed physically than older horses, so they should carry less weight during a race in order to have a fair chance of winning. As horses get older, they develop more muscle and endurance, so they are able to carry more weight without it affecting their performance. Their mental maturity also play a part. The more developed, stronger and experienced a horse is, the more capable it is to carry weight. Some horses carry weight better than others of course, it is all individual - but the weight for age scale is a tool being used to level the playing field when average horses of different ages meet in races.

In general, weight for age scales assign a weight to a horse based on its age. For example, a three-year-old might carry 52kg, while a five-year-old might carry 58kg when they run in the same race. The weight difference between

ages differs over different distances. The longer the race, the bigger the difference. Also, the weight for age difference is being reduced as the season progresses (and the younger horses 'grow up' and mature). The weights assigned to horses thus vary depending on a) the distance and b) the date the race is being run.

The weight for age scale was invented by Admiral Henry John Rous in England back in the 1860s. It has been modified over the years but the principle Rous introduced after years of studies some 160 seasons ago is very much the same today. GS

Epsom Downs, 3 June '23
**The Derby, the Derby is upon us**

28 May 23: Next Saturday is Derby day, when the world's most important classic horse race will be staged at Epsom Downs, south of London, as it has been for over 200 years. This is the one and only Derby, if you ask British racing connoisseurs. Nothing really compares. What is the history of this race, what is it that makes it so special? Click on - sit back and enjoy a fascinating TV documentary that will give you the answers. Narrated by the great Sir Peter O'Sullivan, it's bound to whet your appetite for racing - the Sport of Kings, and nowadays for common folk alike.

'Black type race' - what's that?

A tour of the home of horseracing - Newmarket

Racing TV feature with Sir Mark Prescott

About wet dirt tracks
from www.agameofskill.com

LEARN RACING,

LOVE RACING

Would you like to learn more about thoroughbred horse racing? This is the page to check out on a regular basis, as it will be filled with links to interesting material sure to increase your knowledge and whet you appetite for our great sport.