The Messenger of Allah ﷺ held a race between horses and gave the fully matured horses a longer distance to run.
أن رسول الله ﷺ سبق بين الخيل، وفضل القرح في الغاية.
Abu Dawud (2577), Ahmad (6466), and Ibn Hibban (4688), who graded it sahih, all narrated it through the route of Uqba bin Khalid, from Ubaydullah bin Umar, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, who mentioned it. Its chain is hasan because of Uqba bin Khalid, for he is hasan al-hadith. Ibn Mulaqqin said in Tuhfat al-Muhtaj (2/555), Abu Dawud narrated it with a chain meeting the standard of sahih. However, Daraqutni stated in Ilal (12/335) that Uqba bin Khalid added a wording that no one else brought, namely his statement, "and the superiority of the qarh at the finish line." Aqeeli had preceded him in noting this, in Duafa (3/355).His statement "al-qarh" is with a dammah on the qaf and a shaddah on the fathah-bearing ra, and it is the plural of qarih, which refers to a horse that has entered its fifth year.