It's called weight-for-age, people. One of the most important innovations by Admiral Rous for the British Jocky Club in the 1800s was the formation of the scale of weights for different ages of horses who meet each other. The scale of weights is published in the Racing Manual and other such volumes. It specifies how much weight 2yos, 3yos, 4yos, and 5ups must carry at various distances during each month of the year in order to have a fair contest. 3yos are less mature than older horses and are assumed to need a weight break to have a fair chance against elders. WFA for 10f during September is 120 3yo, 126 elders; during October 121 3yo, 126 elders; during November 122 3yo, 126 elders. Fillies and mares, 3up, get 5 lbs off before Sept. 1 and 3 lbs afterward in addition to WFA.
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