As I posted after NA Cup eliminations, he is off behind. Is that the reason he has been getting beat? Who knows? Some can go with soreness, some can't. Also, sometimes a horse never gets any faster from 2 years old to 3 while others do.

Standardbred horses typically stop growing in height between ages 4 and 5, but they continue to "fill out," gaining muscle mass, width, and weight, until they are 6 to 8 years old.While their legs achieve skeletal maturity early, their spinal vertebrae take much longer to fuse and fully develop. The timeline breaks down as follows:Age 2: Reach approximately 98% of their mature height and 96% of their mature weight . Growth plates in the lower legs are closed .Age 4 to 5: Final height is usually reached, although some individuals might continue to add subtle height until age 7.Age 6 to 8: The spine and back growth plates fuse, allowing the horse to fully mature, widen, and develop deep muscle mass, especially along the topline.

In theory, they should get faster because of this.  Is there still gas in the tank for later years or was the tank emptied at 2?  Injury could also be a factor why they don't get faster.

So f’ked up dude.

This one's for one and all to read.

Andrew picked on me for cleanup on aisle 4 when I worked at whole foods.  I worked there before Amazon bought WFM!  See below:

No, Whole Foods Market did not consistently number their aisles before Amazon acquired the grocery chain in 2017 .Historically, Whole Foods organized its stores by specialized departments rather than numbered aisles. Navigating a store typically meant looking for signs for specific sections (e.g., Bulk, Produce, or Cheese)  instead of following a numerical sequence.The implementation of strict, numbered aisles in Whole Foods was primarily introduced after the Amazon acquisition . This change was largely driven by Amazon’s push to optimize the store layout for online grocery fulfillment, making it easier for in-store shoppers, Amazon delivery shoppers, and automated picking systems to quickly locate items.

Hang in there Kirby!  Things could be worse!   

Hard to go against Dexter.

Taking Zeron over Andrew and David is pretty much done after his accident which brings Timmy back in the fold.

Also always find the trainer/driver pairings interesting. Not a ton of change this year although it looks like Zeron is Takters first choice again