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General Category => Ask the Experts => Topic started by: Tavasco on July 24, 2013, 08:47:25 PM

Title: Australian Horse Ages
Post by: Tavasco on July 24, 2013, 08:47:25 PM
I\'m looking at the 3rd race at Austalia B the night of 7/24 and I see and I notice #2 Ella Magic. She is listed today as a 3 y/o filly. She has raced once before, on Oct 15 2011.

Am I looking at a misprint, do Australian horses race @ 1 y/o or is their age calculated differently than in the US?
Title: Re: Australian Horse Ages
Post by: BH on July 25, 2013, 02:10:08 AM
From Wikipedia:

Thoroughbreds born in the Northern Hemisphere are officially considered a year older on the first of January each year; those born in the Southern Hemisphere officially are one year older on the first of August. These artificial dates have been set to enable the standardization of races and other competitions for horses in certain age groups.

What you are seeing is a reflection of that. She had recently(August 1st) turned 2.