There's a race still run opening day at Churchill Downs that was called the Derby Trial (at one mile, it's the Pat Day Mile now). It was called the Derby Trial because they expected that trainers would use the race as a prep for the Derby seven days later. Triple Crown winner Citation raced in, and won, the Derby Trial.
The idea that horses need a month or more between starts is relatively recent. It might have something to do with the fact that most horses run on the drug Lasix these days. In Australia where Lasix is prohibited, the best horses sometimes run twice in the same week.
ML/NJ
“It might have something to do with the fact that most horses run on the drug Lasix these days.”
I think it’s more to do with PETA-hippie type crybabiness.
Everything has gone downhill since the ‘60s, and horse-racing is no exception.
“We might hurt them!!!”
Look at claimers - they use Lasix but are still being run quite frequently. The “best” have become hot-house flowers.