Did you know?

[Horny Harry]

Did you know?
Horse in Japanese is "uma" (pronounced: OO - Ma). I know the Australian bloodstock agent who knows only Japanese expression dealing with horses and that is "ii uma"(pronounced: ee - uma). It literally means "good horse".
Recently I was asked by an Australian stud what the name of their new Japanese shuttle stallion meant in case anyone asked so I thought it might be timely to give put on my teachers hat.
Lesson number 1
Word
Meaning
Pronunciation
Uma
Horse
OO-Ma
Hayai uma
Fast horse
Hy eye - uma
Osoi uma
Slow horse
O Soy - uma
The most important word you should remember is "KE-I-BA"(pronounced kay - bar) and means "Horse Racing" in Japanese. So, racecourse in Japanese is "KEIBA JO".
Japanese horse names
Shadai Group's "Shadai "is named after the region their first farm was established in.
Taiki Group's "Taiki" is the named after an area near Hokkaido. Shinko Forest's "Shinko" is the name of business group owned by Mr. Yasuda.
In Japan it is quite common for owners to use a so called crown or head name for their horses such as Toyo, Mejiro, Simboli, Shinko, etc.. Syndicating companies also use a crown name to identify their group such as Taiki, Silk, Minel, Lord, etc..

[Handy Harry]

What Determines Strength in Racing?

The quality gap is narrowing

http://www.nx.sakura.ne.jp/~gumi/gutti/horse/top.jpg

At one time, the difference between the racing performances of Japanese and Euro-American horses was clear. However, the continual efforts of Japanese breeders and race personnel have enabled them to obtain good stallions and mares from abroad and to improve their procedures for handling and training racehorses. As a result, in 1998 Seeking the Pearl won the Overseas GI race (Fr, Prix Maurice de Gheest)--a first for a Japanese racehorse.

After this event, Japanese racehorses continued to take an active role in overseas races. Examples include Taiki Shuttle (1998, Fr, Prix Jacques le Marois), Agnes World (1999, Fr, Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp, 2000, U.K., Darley July Cup), El Condor Pasa (1999, Fr, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, 2nd Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe), Stay Gold (2001, IRE, the Dubai Sheema Classic). These results clearly prove that the quality of Japanese racehorses has improved.

Recently, T.M. Opera O (JPN, 1996, Opera House/Once Wed) played an important role in Japanese racing. He was retired in December 2001 with career wins/starts at 14/26. His record included seven Japanese G1 race wins (1.25-2 miles, including the Japan Cup in 2000: defeating Fantastic Light and Montjeu), a number of championships that stands as a Japanese record. This is a particularly noteworthy number considering advances made by Japanese racehorses in general.

We attempted to evaluate the performance potential of T.M. Opera O on the basis of exercise physiology. There have been many reports that evaluate the performance potential of racehorses, however, there is no such report regarding a top-level racehorse. The clarification of the performance potential of such a racehorse would offer the key to understanding the determinants of racing prowess. In addition, such an evaluation would have the potential to become a valuable index when evaluating the performance potential of other horses on the basis of exercise physiology.

http://www.jair.jrao.ne.jp/library/journal/v11n1/photo_07.jpg
A horse being fitted with measuring equipment (heart rate meter). The equipment is fitted to the saddlecloth underneath the saddle.


Focus on physiological findings In this article, the exercise physiological findings regarding T.M. Opera O over a 10-month period beginning March 2001 are presented. Also, we would like to offer proof regarding aspects of his prowess. There are various factors affecting racing performance, these are cardiac, respiratory, and muscle function; physical constitution; biomechanics; and others. First, using an electrocardiogram we monitored heart rate at rest (Holter-type Electrocardiograph, Japan)1 and during exercise (Acculex, Finland)2. Second, we measured the blood lactate level after exercise using a lactate analyzer (YSI 1500 SPORT, Japan)3 because lactate is produced during anaerobic and submaximal exercise, thus the level of aerobic exercise ability can be estimated using this measurement. Finally, we carried out an echocardiographic measurement (EUB-6000, 2~4MHz, Japan)4 at rest to examine cardiac function.

http://www.nx.sakura.ne.jp/~gumi/gutti/horse/photo/ntop.jpg

A low heart rate

The resting heart rate was 25 beats per minute. In general, racehorses' heart rates have been reported at 26-50 beats per minute (Fregin, 1982). It has been thought that the heart rate at rest varies with degree of stimulation of the autonomic nervous system, specifically the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves (Hamlin et al., 1972). It is reasonable to suppose that the heart rate of a well-trained racehorse is low with a concurrently highly active parasympathetic nervous system, as in a human athlete. It is inferred from this that the heart rate of T.M. Opera O is low with a highly active parasympathetic nervous system.

http://www.equinst.go.jp/EG/img/Saddling.gif
Equipped holter type Electrocardiograph with blanket

Next, we present his heart rate and the change in blood lactate after exercise compared with other racehorses. We measured the heart rate and blood lactate during workout, and we compared the average measurements recorded for T.M. Opera O (from a total of five) with the average rate (one measurement) compiled from measurements of ten other racehorses' rates. To calculate this average, we selected 10 racehorses at random from various classes (from a maiden horse to the winner of a group race), sampling the heart rate every five seconds using a heart rate meter. A previous report was made on recovery heart rates at five minutes after exercise that correlated the rates with fastest winning times in standardbred horses (Marsland WP, 1968), so we used this index. The blood lactate level was compared using venous blood collected at 10 minutes after exercise.

The heart rate of T.M. Opera O at five minutes after exercise was lower than those of the 10 other horses. Specifically, the average heart rate (112.4 beats per minute) of T.M. Opera O differed significantly in comparison with that (128.5 beats per minute) of the 10 other horses (Welch's t-test, p<0.05). There was no difference in their maximal heart rates during exercise. This result clearly shows that the heart rate recovery of T.M. Opera O is more rapid than that of other horses after exercise.

http://www.websouthwest.co.uk/ponyclub/points/heart_1.jpg

THE HEART


(A) Anterior vena cave from head.
(B) Aorta to body and head.
(C) Pulmonary artery to lungs.
(D) Pulmonary veins from lungs.
(E) Left atrium.
(F) Left ventricle.
(G) Right ventricle.
(H) Right atrium.
(J) Posterior vena cava from body


A lower blood lactate level


http://www.equinst.go.jp/EG/img/Blood-Collection.gif

blood sample being collected; a blood test will be performed subsequently. Japanese Graded Race Results

The average blood lactate level (16.49mmol/l) of T.M. Opera O differed significantly in comparison with that (20.54mmol/l) of the 10 other horses (Welch's t-test, p<0.05). The blood lactate level is influenced by exercise intensity. However, because all exercise was done at almost the same level (maximal or submaximal exercise) in this trial, the difference between the two clearly shows that T.M. Opera O could afford to supply much aerobic energy in comparison with the 10 other horses without drawing on his anaerobic reserves. One report asserts that the majority of the energy (90%) used is supplied aerobically during a 2,400m race (Eaton, M.D., 1994). Therefore, it is likely that T.M. Opera O, with his better aerobic exercise ability, has a distinct advantage when racing.

http://www.jair.jrao.ne.jp/library/journal/v8n7/photo_02.jpg

A higher stroke volume

Finally, we would like to present observations regarding echocardiographic readings taken of T.M. Opera O. Based on an ultrasound image of the left ventricular outflow, the stroke volume of the heart was calculated using the following formula: SV=VTI x (AoD/2)2 x 3.14 (SV: stroke volume, VTI: velocity time integral, AoD: aorta diameter). A report on the resting stroke volumes of thoroughbreds found the volume to be 593~1,164ml, or 1.2~2.6ml/kg (Eberly et al., 1964). The stroke volume of T.M. Opera O was 1,448ml, or 2.98ml/kg. His stroke volume largely surpassed values of the report. It is possible that the margin of error was larger because of the noninvasive nature of testing using echocardiography. However, even when this is taken into consideration, his stroke volume remains high. Furthermore, we can state that T.M. Opera O had good oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to this high stroke volume. Consequently, it is clear that T.M. Opera O had an advantage over other horses when they ran.

http://www.geocities.co.jp/CollegeLife-Club/8850/dendou/opera.jpg

An exceptionally strong heart

We examined a thickness of the wall of the left ventricle supplying all parts of the body with blood. In one report it is observed that left ventricular walls at end-diastole and end-systole were 2.0~2.9cm and 3.2~4.5cm (Reef, et al., 1991). The measurements for T.M. Opera O were 3.56cm and 4.95cm. This data supports the considerable stroke volume exhibited by T.M. Opera O and it can be inferred from this data that the extraordinary cardiac output of T.M. Opera O was produced by the strong force of the heart's contractions.

Conclusion

We performed some exercise physiological tests of T.M. Opera O to analyze his performance potential in this study. As a result, his racing prowess was confirmed not only by his track performance but also on a scientific basis. It is clear that the data gained from this study will become a very useful index when we evaluate the performance potential of other horses in the future. However, we analyzed only a few factors affecting performance potential; the performance of a racehorse is affected by a large number of factors. We must continue considering methods of ability rating for racehorses that include new techniques