EL Commando participated in the first 2 Year Old Schooler of 2024.
Schooling races are designed to allow horses to get used to the car and gate. For the most part, as babies, they are training down by themselves or with a small group of other horses so these schooling races are very important. If you are stabled at a racetrack, like EL Commando is, the babies will see more equipment on the track; tractors and trucks.
All of the 2 year olds need to learn several things as they are getting ready to race:
- To get up to the gate, with other horses on either side of them.
- To accelerate after the gate opens, to sit behind another horse,
- To maintain a certain speed when they are leading,
- To speed up when there is a horse coming on the outside of them.
Schooling races help them experience these things before they start racing.
My camera work was a little shaky, but you can watch the race here.
After leaving well, Kyle Swift and EL Commando decided to sit second as Kevin Cummings pulled the 2 year old filly out of the pocket to cut the mile by the quarter pole. The quartet of two year olds would make their way around the track without incident to the three quarter pole. Getting itchy in the pocket EL Commando wanted out and Kyle obliged allowing him to pass Kevin Cummings and the filly, finishing the mile first. EL Commando can be a little headstrong, but he’s still learning and he did well in his first schooling mile with other two year olds. Schooling Races Continue on Saturday, May 25, 2024
EL Commando will be back at it on Saturday. Hoping to get more experience as he prepares for his first goal of his 2 year old seaon: Qualifiers. As a 2 year old, he needs to be able to go a mile in at least 2:10. That is qualifying time to two year old trotters at Buffalo Raceway.
I certainly don’t want to jinx him but he has been training down well and I don’t anticipate him having trouble qualifying. He has a few others goals for the year but we’re taking them one at a time.
