Workouts For Yearlings?

[Leigh Ann Anderson]

I bought a yearling and noticed that the previous owner had given him a workout. I looked at several other yearlings and noticed many of them had workouts too.

Is this a common practice? Just seemed a little early to work yearlings.

[Eric Nalbone]

Personally, I concur and think its a little early to be working yearlings. That said, people have been doing all sorts of things with workouts, despite them being fairly new.

I've resisted using workouts in *most* cases, and my win/OTB percentages haven't changed at all in the last few weeks with workouts affecting performances. This leads me to believe that horses, when regularly raced, aren't really in need of that much in the way of supplemental workouts. All of that said, I also think there's a "Let's click the buttons" syndrome in the SIM, where players see buttons and feel the need to press them, simply because they're there.

I'm not sure how (or if?) we'll see the effects of horses overworking yearlings, but it might show up in increased numbers of horses with problems like bucked shins, etc. early in their two-year old year.

[Laura Ferguson]

I believe, beginning next year, a 2yo will have to have two workout before he or she can race. So, I worked out some of my turf sprinters for the first time in Week 10, and will work my dirt sprinters this week. This is so the sprinters will be ready to race any time, beginning Week 1, but not have the workouts so close to their debut that they're worn out. I'm figuring 3 weeks until their next workout (the turfers worked earlier because several are going to ship internationally to wherever they're going to begin their racing careers). The routers won't have their first work until the very end of this year, or even next year, and none will have their second work before next year. If there was no workout requirement, I wouldn't work any of my yearlings, period.

[Laura Smith]

I did the same as Laura -- I worked my sprintiest sprint yearlings last week, about six or seven horses in total; I'm probably going to work them again in three weeks, and start the miler-type horses near the end of the year. The routers won't even see the training track until a few weeks into Year 19.

[Amy Alyssa]

I worked mine (roughly) Week 5, then Week 10 - then I'll wait until next year before working them until they start.

[Michelle Calderoni]

I've been working my yearlings every three weeks (week 5, 8, and 11) but haven't worked any of the racehorses.

[Ryen Hanna]

Wow. I've been working my yearlings every two weeks. I'm not sure what kind of effect it will have, but we'll find out. For a few I'm definitely using it to see what surface they'll prefer...

As for regular racehorses, I haven't worked them unless I'm confused about surface preference or unless they're getting awhile off. Is Wanting Enough just went 5 weeks between races, so I'm using workouts to train her up to the upcoming race...

[Emily White]

I was guilty of overworking my yearlings...OOPS.

They're all back on a farm, and they won't work again until Year 19 Week 2.

[Emma Lochran]

I've been working mine every 3wks... We shall see.

[Mallory Claire]

I tend to think the workouts helped tremendously in Notorious' comeback. He was injured from weeks 4-6, worked Week 6, Week 7, and Week 8, and then finished second by a head in the Belmont in Week 9. Not too shabby. Of course, who knows how it would have come out had he not worked as much, or not at all. But second by a head in a Triple Crown race is nothing to complain about.

[Amanda O'Brien]

I have to admit to working all my horses out every week. some are getting faster but tbh i think i will just stop working them out full stop. (Next comment IS NOT A CRITISISM) Without any workout feedback i just feel like i am in the dark so no more workouts in my stable. period. end of.

[Nikki Everdeen]

I've been doing two furlong works every four weeks.