Calidoscopio, a 9-year-old Argentinean gelding, won the 1 ¾-mile 2012 Breeders’ Cup Marathon becoming the oldest horse ever to win a Breeders’ Cup race.
There are several different ways to compare a horse’s age with a human’s age. Here is one way: Beginning at birth, horses age 6.5 years for each human year until they reach 4-years-old. At that point, the rate slows to 2.5 years for each human year.
1. Using the above information, how old is Calidoscopio in human years?
Calidoscopio’s winning margin was 4 1/4 lengths.
2. 1 length = 8 feet (2.4 m). How far was he ahead of the second place horse when he crossed the finish line?
“I had a wonderful trip,” his jockey Aaron Gryder said. “They told me to detach myself from the field at the beginning; that he wouldn’t be in it at all. They said you can close your eyes for the first mile then pick them up. At about the three-quarters pole he began to pick them up and I started feeling good. He was rolling.”
The final time of 2:56.25 was the second fastest in the five-year history of the Marathon. The record is held by Man of Iron who won in 2009 with a time of 2:54.11.
3. How much faster is Man of Iron’s time than Calidoscopio’s?
Watch the race and you will see Calidoscopio running in last place for the first part of the race, just as his owner’s and trainer said he would when they were giving instructions to Gryder before the race.
1. Using the above information, how old is Calidoscopio in human years?
Answer: (3 x 6.5) + (6 x 2.5) = 19.5 + 15 = 34.5. Calidoscopio is 34 1/2 years old in human years.
2. 1 length = 8 feet (2.4 m). How far was he ahead of the second place horse when he crossed the finish line?
US Customary: 4 1/4 x 8 ft = 34. He was 34 feet ahead of the second place finisher.
Metric: 4 1/4 x 2.4 m = 4.25 x 2.4 m = 10.2 m. He was 10.2 metres ahead of the second place finisher.
3. How much faster is Man of Iron’s time than Calidoscopio’s?
Answer: 2 minutes 56.25 seconds – 2 minutes 54.11 seconds = 2.14 seconds. Man of Iron’s time is 2.14 seconds faster.
Photos: YouTube