Thanks for your reply, BladeRider. It is great news, although long, long overdue.
I don't think there's any doubt that, at the very least, not racing 2-year-olds would help a lot. But it's out of the question, unfortunately. Racing Thoroughbreds have started their careers at the age of 2 for well over 100 years, perhaps far longer than that, and it's one thing the sport probably will never change.
Especially not these days. We live in the age when the commercial breeders dominate the sport. Their interests are to sell as many yearlings as possible for the highest prices possible. So their breeding approach is stuck on what's fashionable at the moment. What this increasingly means is that stallions whose progeny tend to mature later are quickly out of fasion, as are those who tend to produce stamina rather than pure speed.
In addition, because of the widespread use of anabolic steroids in young horses, probably even yearlings (so they look great in the sales ring), who knows what kind of damage is being done genetically to the colts and fillies who eventually do go on to be studs and broodmares.
For way too long, no one in the sport even admitted to that kind of powerful drug use on horses. So at least something positive came from the horrific breakdown of Eight Belles moments after this year's Kentucky Derby. I just hope this time the powers that be in the sport really mean it, and yesterday's announcement was not just window dressing for public consumption.
It is a shame, yes they have raced 2 year olds for over 100 years but the worlds of horses and verterinary medicine have come a long way in those 100 years. Stressing young bones with drugs and extensive exercise before growth is complete is not good for the horse in the long run, I wonder if growth plates are even closed by the time they start training. Hopefully at leat the banning of steroids will help some but I still believe that even adding one more year to mature would make a big difference. I have a 6 year old and to me he is in his prime right now. JMHO.