INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS OF RACING YEARS ON EARLY CAREER PERFORMANCE IN TROTTERS

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequencies of young trot ters and differences in their racing performance in various 'starting age - career length' (SACL) combinations. The annual race records were summarized to provide early career records for two- to five-year-old Standardbred trotters (n=3080) and three- to six-year-old Finnhorse tr otters (n=2638). The majority (85.7%) of Standardbred trotters started racing at the age of three or four years. Most Finnhorse trotters (76 .0%) had their first race as four- of five-year-olds. The most common SACL-combination was the three- to five-year-old season in Standardbre d trotters and four- to six-year-old season in Finnhorse trotters, res pectively. A statistically significant interaction between the SACL-co mbination and sex was observed for best career time. Generally, horses starting their racing career young and racing during several consecut ive years were superior to other horses in both breeds. Standardbred t rotters racing through three to five years of age had career times 5.6 , 7.5 and 6.3 seconds better on an average than horses racing only as three-, four- or five-year-olds, respectively. In Finnhorses the diffe rences between the SACL combinations pointed in the same direction and were even greater.