JB,

Sounds like there are some people on this board who absolutely are with you that horses are getting faster and they are very confident in the numbers that compare this generation with older generations of horses.

There are some that think you are off on this.

But there is a middle group, at least I think so. I have read everything you posted on here for the past 12 months and have also read your piece for the Expo. All logical to me and for what it is worth (not much), I think you prove your point that horses are getting faster.

The question I have is whether you are wrong about the rate at which they are getting faster. The 2 1/2 inch cushion versus 3 inch cushion, explains 20 years ago versus today. But on the T-Graph figures, horses are getting faster YEAR over YEAR, not just now versus 5 years ago or 10 years ago. I for one, find it hard to believe that nutrition, science, etc. can make horses faster as quickly as reflected on your numbers.

For example, last year we had the fastest 3 year old ever in Smarty Jones, followed by the fastest horse ever, in Ghostzapper.

I questioned you about this last year after the Monmouth race, saying it seemed unlikely for the fastest 3 year old and fastest horse ever to occur months apart.

Now, this year, we had two 3 year olds run as fast or faster than Smarty in preps, and 2 others run negative 2's. That means this year's crop of 3 year olds has 4 of the 5 fastest 3 year olds ever!!! On top of that, we had a negative 5 for Northern Stag. So, Northern Stag is now the 2nd fastest horse ever.

My point is that it is very easy to be convinced by your case that horses are getting faster, however it is more difficult to agree with the rate they are getting faster at. Genetics on horses would be driving an improvement rate maybe never seen in any other species? Maybe this last sentence is a little anti-climactic, but anyway, I hope I made my point.