Racehorses are getting faster – but what gives a top-class horse the edge on the track?

RACEHORSES are getting faster. That’s a fact.

But as we continue to be told at the elite end of the sport they can’t run very often it got me thinking about how much do we really know about our equine athletes?

Matt Chapman is back with his latest columnNews Group Newspapers Ltd.

These are the kind of things I think about in bed at night, when to be quite frank I’d much rather my brain was being taken over by wilder considerations. But that’s just the way it is I’m afraid.

The current situation with racing’s box office performer Constitution Hill has brought this to the fore.

Constitution Hill, the outstanding Champion Hurdle hero, has only raced once this season in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, although to be fair to trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley that is down to weather as much as holding him back for the main aim of retaining his crown at Cheltenham.

Racing fans want to see top horses in action more often.
But the message is loud and clear that can’t happen — even though they were born to run — due to burnout or being unable to maintain a top level of ability.

As a result I did some research on racehorses and thought I’d share a few facts that perhaps you didn’t know. Let’s start with food.

A typical racehorse needs to consume around 35,000 calories a day. That’s roughly the same as you or I eating 16 large pizzas during the same time period. Crazy huh?

Breath technique is key for every racehorse, one of the reasons why so many have breathing operations.

The chances are Constitution Hill’s lungs and heart are on another level to most of his rivals. That would be the most obvious way he sets himself apart.

Taking in oxygen is key for a horse. Oxygen is required for the chemical reaction that turns glucose into energy. So a higher oxygen intake means more energy available to muscles.

To put those numbers into perspective, a racehorse can move about 1,800 litres of air per minute. In a mile and a quarter race that’s roughly the same as blowing up a bundle of at least 250 balloons.

I mentioned the heart. A thoroughbred’s heart is around 40 per cent larger than other breeds of horse. That’s why one that races with an even bigger heart than average will run faster.

The only negative here is that heart size can also increase disease like congestive heart failure. In America, the legend Secretariat was said to have a heart twice the size of the average racehorse.

While racing, a horse’s heart rate can increase almost 600 per cent to reach up to an incredible 240 beats per minute. And in a race, a horse can produce enough heat energy to charge a smartphone battery more than 80 times. This seems ultra important.

Even when winning easily, a horse still turns over a lot of energy output. Perhaps this is why horses do actually need time between races to be at their best.

The level of energy they produce can put them at risk of heat illness or stress. With a horse creating so much body heat, the hydration and cool down period is crucial.

Finally, during a race a horse could lose anything from 2.5 per cent to 11 per cent of their bodyweight in a race. Most of that will be water through sweat, but it all goes to take something out of an animal.

Essentially, it makes one realise we should enjoy them all while we can, and relish every sighting of a beast like Constitution Hill.

The ITV cameras cover Kempton and Warwick today. The horse I can’t wait to see is GUETAPAN COLLONGES (3.00) who goes in the Classic Chase. He has a big chance.

My hope is high enough in the weights, but he stays all day and jumps with aplomb.

The third at Cheltenham last time against the reopposing Malina Girl was decent and this slightly longer trip will suit.

I’ll have him each-way. Let’s hope he has a huge heart! Yeeehaaa!

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