Yearlings in your team

[NeilA]

What percentage of yearlings do members have in there sprint teams ?
I have to many ,normally I like 60-70 percent but I have loads this year as I was thinking of turning south or trying to look for middle distance races so only retained 3 cocks and gave some decent ones away to start again in a way
I notice the shorter races are dominated in my area with yearlings though but wonder if this is down to the BOP issue rather than selection choice

[Andy]

I have 5 in my team of 12. 2 of them are late breds. I think generally there is a bigger percentage of yearlings in the races than older birds. But again looking at our combine results last year I would say less than half the birds timed in the top 50 most weeks were yearlings. The winner of the 5th race of the season at 110 miles was a 6 year old. There were quite a lot of older birds in the results and remember that even the furthest fliers in the combine don’t fly further than 140 miles from the longest race.

[NeilA]

I have 5 in my team of 12. 2 of them are late breds. I think generally there is a bigger percentage of yearlings in the races than older birds. But again looking at our combine results last year I would say less than half the birds timed in the top 50 most weeks were yearlings. The winner of the 5th race of the season at 110 miles was a 6 year old. There were quite a lot of older birds in the results and remember that even the furthest fliers in the combine don’t fly further than 140 miles from the longest race.

That’s very different to here Andy
I don’t know why that should be
if a bird is timed here at 4 years old sprinting to score up the top of the fed it’s just the odd one and you know it must have plenty of history

[CHARLTON34]

Do you race your yearlings right from the 1st race if it's going to be a cold north easterly wind Neil or do you hold them back & pick when to start with them when the weather is more favourable. Just asking as mine will be yearlings that didn't race in 2024 just trained.

[NeilA]

Do you race your yearlings right from that 1st race if it's going to be a cold north easterly wind Neil or do you hold them back & pick when to start with them when the weather is more favourable. Just asking as mine will be yearling that didn't race in 2024 just trained.

I don’t train unless its over 12 degrees unless its 4/5 miles but I do race them from the 1st race unless it’s like a 20 mph cold east wind
They have all had 4/5 races as babies though and must be 40 trainers to 16 miles
Not sure it matters but mine don’t go out to Monday night when racing and if it’s cold Tuesday

[MIL]

I know you'd like a bit more experience around you Neil, but i'm excited for you this year

Yearlings are the backbone of every good racing loft - and youi've a healthy dose of them around you

Yes, they aren't all going to be good but you're good enough to suss out soon enough those who "have it" and those that don't

School them well early doors and they have the potential to be on fire for you right from race 1

I remember well in 2003 the opening race of the year Gareth Gates topped the Fed 5,129 birds

He was actually a 2 year old but "in essence" he was a yearling because he only had the final race of the season as a yearling. He was still dead raw in that regard. The week after "Donovan" was 1st 5,663 birds and "Gareth" came with him for 3rd place 5,663 birds.

When those 2 cocks achieved those performances "Donovan" was on race 2 of his life widowhood life

"Gareth" was on races 2 and 3 of his widowhood life when he was 1st 5,129 birds, 3rd 5,663 birds

[NeilA]

I know you'd like a bit more experience around you Neil, but i'm excited for you this year

Yearlings are the backbone of every good racing loft - and youi've a healthy dose of them around you

Yes, they aren't all going to be good but you're good enough to suss out soon enough those who "have it" and those that don't

School them well early doors and they have the potential to be on fire for you right from race 1

I remember well in 2003 the opening race of the year Gareth Gates topped the Fed 5,129 birds

He was actually a 2 year old but "in essence" he was a yearling because he only had the final race of the season as a yearling. He was still dead raw in that regard. The week after "Donovan" was 1st 5,663 birds and "Gareth" came with him for 3rd place 5,663 birds.

When those 2 cocks achieved those performances "Donovan" was on race 2 of his life widowhood life

"Gareth" was on races 2 and 3 of his widowhood life when he was 1st 5,129 birds, 3rd 5,663 birds

A couple half as good as them would do me Mike

[Murray]

I used to like widow cocks with some years on them.
Not now.
A yearling that has had plenty of training and some races as a young bird, well, they are year younger and a year quicker.

[NeilA]

I used to like widow cocks with some years on them.
Not now.
A yearling that has had plenty of training and some races as a young bird, well, they are year younger and a year quicker.

They certainly do seem to be the ones in the fed results more here

[Devo1956]

If you were a new starter last year, after racing youngsters. You would be really looking forward to the yearlings racing this year, so much you can learn from the second year of racing.