I am on Jan 1st season 3 and I bought two good looking 2 YOs in the off season. One was 450k and the other 110k.
They both are short distance speedsters with very very good acceleration. I have high hopes for them.
But I am wondering though how do you know where they stand in terms of what they can do? Do you always run a maiden race and use that as a yard stick? Or do you sometimes make their first race a group race and see if they can ambush the bookmakers? I don't really know what to do.


One other question too while I am asking. How do you get horses ready for races in the first two weeks of January? Like the Hollywood Stakes on Jan 1st in North America?
Coming in from the offseason my horses are always short of fitness for about three weeks. There is no possible way to get them ready to run on Jan 1st. Yet when I attend the race and view the paddock almost every horse running the race is 'fit'. If I tried to run my horses there is no way I could compete.
In fact I don't think I can get my horses ready for January events at all.

Thanks for any forthcoming help

Personally I always run sprinters in a maiden. I look for maidens with all 7f plus horses in also. I promise you your sprinter will win. and it will make for a nice workout for your horse whilst maintaining a 100% record.

then I look at the rating and enter a handicap that my horse does not have top weight. If it wins that I will either enter another handicap (not top weight) or a listed/group race. Then regardless of result I keep in listed til the rating drops below last winning mark (or I win a good group race)

The day before your previous season ends put any horses you might think of running early on either orange or red training so when end of year has run they are fully fit when new season starts.

obviously you cant do that with the 2 yr olds but it doesnt matter as the 2yr old maidens start a few weeks into the season.

But otherwise that is how you prep for the new season.