Day-Phillips As A Benchmark

I treck on with stats begging everyone's patience as the blog ferrets out "some stuff". These days the RR thoughts and puzzlings of two+ decades as to what really goes on out there, now it's all on our screens.

With a few revisions in these websites to include slow day galloping and explanations of why horses disappear we have potentially an invaluable injury prevention gold mine. Think I'll look at Hennig and Stewart and then conclude.

Today the Catherine Day-Phillips finale. I revisited the original sample of racing horses, found only 16 instead of 17 in it this time, and looked at the workouts.

Combining workouts with the racing, one is struck at the consistency of this lady's work. In my parlance, they go out there every day. You will see below that the sample averages 3.54 breeze/race/per month AND that is with two week layoffs from speed work after racing. Subtract those two week layoff periods and C. Day-Phillips works her stock once a week. It's Todd Plecher training with significantly less off time from speed work.

The result, and again this really strikes you when you combine looking at breezes AND races, is that almost every horse in the sample races consistently either through the year or to the point of dropping out. Though 8 of 16 horses failed to make it through and a three others obviously were injured and came back off layoffs, almost all of them made it a good long way. You notice in this stable absence of the common hit and miss racing and quick exits prevalent in the other sites.

Day-Phillips's consistency provides a benchmark. She breezes 4 or 5f in :12s or a little slower every 7 days except after races when she gives her two weeks off from speed work. 50% make it through and of the 50% that failed I'd guess 2 or 3 stopped for reasons other than injury. This makes for Day-Phillips a 65% percentage in terms of making it through one year. For as consistently as they race, this seems fairly decent by itself and extremely good when compared to other sites.

The reader might be thinking RR is being too nice here. It's Xmas, right? Let's wait till the blog gets to "performance" before we lower the boom on Catherine Day-Phillips. I suspect we'll see some holes. But, in terms of injury prevention, some quibbles, but best comparatively to date.

Here are the stats. The number to the left of the horses name is the average number of breeze/race/month for that horse either through the year or to the point of injury. C. Day-Phillips horses average about 5.75 races per horse per year, and that includes the injured horses. Again, seems very decent.

These horses lasted the year:
3 Runoff to La
3.3 Natural Mystic
3.4 True Jean
3.3 Short Shorts
3.8 Long Pants off a layoff
3.1 Van Lear Rose
4.25 Cianorte off a layoff
3.61 Victory Pass--back working after a layoff, yet to have recent race.

3.47 average of breeze/races/month for horses that last the year.

These horses failed to last the year:
3.7 Soul Rebel
3.25 Red Raffles
3.5 Read The Stars
3.8 Bold Suspect
3.8 Parlour Time
3.75 Fashion Jenny
3.76 Wovoka
3.2 Snow Delicious

3.6 average breeze/race/month for horses that dropped out.

Sample average 3.54 breeze/race/month

Training: We're planning to work. Depends on ground conditions. Will post.