For years I've noted that Oaklawn mixes 3-year-olds and older horses in their maiden races and allowances in the spring, while most circuits wait until the spring to do that. Checking Oaklawm's Saturday action, I didn't have to go past race 5 to see an example this year, which was a $15,000 maiden claiming race. But I see that Fair Grounds is in on the fun, too: its race 5 Saturday was a $10,000 - $8,000 non-winners-of-two-lifetime claimer...for 3+up. Three year olds took the first two spots, with an older horse running 3rd, so the open condition was not just a technicality.
Two weeks ago, exposing the crop of 2009 to early crops would have seemed truly peculiar. But if we're starting to mix the ages on January 14, why couldn't we start a little earlier?
There is the feeling about these races that we're really watching men competing against boys, though. The boys can beat the men, just like a fanatical 10-year-old might be able to outplay an out-of-shape 25-year-old in a soccer match, but the game more satisfies curiosity than represents true sport. It's a freak-show contest -- having such young horses face off against mature horses.
Of course, the main concern of Oaklawn and Fair Grounds is just that running races for newly turned 3-year-olds against their elders uses the resources on the grounds effectively, and increases total starters over the course of the meet. But we can set aside those concerns and ask if a line is crossed.
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