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I I Permit Harness Horses to Race Until 15 on West Coast LOS ANGELES, Calif. — There are some advantages to horse owners who choose standardbreds. For instance, the runners who have attained their tenth birthdays will not be eligible to race at Hollywood Park this summer, whereas harness horses can race until theyre 15. This means five more years of service for the sulky pullers. Of course, the wear and tear on thoroughbreds break them down right and left; only the truly sturdy survive the pounding of their hooves at full tilt while packing the weight of the jockey over their front legs, and thats where nearly all break down. Another advantage noted for the harness horse is that there is no age-bar on maidens, whereas runners are barred from Hollywood Park unless thay have won a race before the end of their fourth year of existence. Fundamentally, the reason for the stringent rules at the Inglewood course is the over-supply of thoroughbreds, while the reason for the lenient rules applying to buggy horses is that there is a scarcity of them in this sector.
