Al Quoz Sprint leaves little doubt about older horses' suitability

In another post (http://www.reflectionsonaracingform.blogspot.com/2011/10/calculating-jimmy-very-vibrant-8-year.html), I said that Calculating Jimmy's staying power as a need-the-lead sprinter was surprising. But in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup day, I noticed that the field of 15 included two 9-year-olds and four 7-year-olds, for an average age of 6.2 and a median age of 6. The older horses were particularly well-represented among the race's heroes, with 7-year-old Ortensia winning, and 9-year-old Joy And Fun 3rd. It appears that sprinting on the turf is exactly what older horses want to do.