Why is a horse running his third race in five weeks at a disadvantage compared to one who hasn't raced during that time?

While 3, 4 weeks is said to be the norm between races, the truth is we will never really know because our race horses can’t speak for themselves or make decisions about their participation. The fact is every horse is different, some may need longer some not as long. The prep races are weeks before the first leg of the Triple Crown, which is the Kentucky Derby. They do have scheduled daily breeze workouts, but they are not as strenuous as an actually race. Also, it's not good to lightly race a horse either. What we do know is, races as the Kentucky Derby takes a lot out of these young horses, so it takes a very special talent to continue on to all three. That's why winning the Triple Crown is so tough to accomplish. All of this takes place over five short weeks with more races in a short time then they are used to. Plus it's the hardest and the furthest they were ever asked to run. In Kentucky Derby they experiencing larger crowds than they have ever faced as well. Then the must run the Preakness with Pimlico's sharp turns. And then the Belmont which is the true Test of Champions. A grueling mile and a half that they will probably meet just once in their lives. It's a tough scheduled for these 3 year olds. After all they are still babies.

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There are people who think that racing too often has a cummulative effect on horses- that it tires them and makes them more likely to lose races. Coburn, however, was upset because he'd just watched his horse lose for the first time in 7 starts, and he naturally didn't like it. He also was unaware at the time that the horse had been injured coming out of the starting gate- he didn't learn about that until after his colt had been brought back to the barn after the race. That's when the injury was discovered, and upon review of the race tapes, the owners and trainer realized that the colt had been bumped and then stepped on while leaving the gate. The INJURY was what caused CA Chrome to lose the Belmont, not fatigue. If he hadn't gotten hurt, he more than likely would have won.

And yes, racehorses do breeze and work out regularly in between races.

Tonalist was the 15th Belmont winner who skipped the Derby and The Preakness. You figure it out for yourself.