"He beat nothing"

[Cannon Shell]

Racing at 2 is not a bad thing as the animal right nuts want you to believe but not racing at 2 is also not a huge negative either depending on the reason for not running. While buliding bone through training is important I have a hard time believing that 1:11 of really fast exercise (a race) over a 365 day period can make a big difference on a horses bone structure overall versus the 26 or so days of daily training per month. Many horses who run at 2 are unsound but it may be the only chance that they will have at racing because they are just too crooked and as they grow older and heavier their legs simply wont hold up. Many horses that dont race at two are simply too immature to gain anything by racing at two. The experience that a horse gains while racing at a young age is as important as anything. Other outside influences that have nothing to do with soundness and come into play are the economic situation of the owner, the trainers concern over their win percentage, the need for larger stables to weed out horses to make way for the new ones coming in, date of birth of the individual horse and its maturity level, opportunities at the track where you are stabled, etc.