$12,000,000 horse race

[RacingFan1992]

This would be epic if California Chrome won the Pegasus Championship, Breeders Cup Classic, and Dubai World Cup.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/horses/2016/03/26/whats-next-for-california-chrome-owner-says-new-12-million-race-at-gulfstream-possible/82293688/

[Lemon Drop Husker]

This would be epic if California Chrome won the Pegasus Championship, Breeders Cup Classic, and Dubai World Cup.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/horses/2016/03/26/whats-next-for-california-chrome-owner-says-new-12-million-race-at-gulfstream-possible/82293688/

I don't see how this is even feasible.

There aren't many races in North America that even offer $1 Million dollar purses, much less $12 Million. Those races are either related to the Triple Crown, are auto-qualifiers for the Breeder's Cup, or are an actual Breeder's Cup race. We are talking about some of the most historic races in North America that don't even sniff $2 Million in purse money.

The Breeder's Cup Classic is currently the richest purse in North America at $5 Million. The second largest is the Kentucky Derby at $2 Million. And they are talking about offering $10 Million more than the Kentucky Derby for a race in January which is between the Classic and the World Cup?

They talk of it as a stopgap between the Classic and the World Cup. I see it as nothing more than a competitor for those two races and would certainly take away from both of those fields. If you are an American horse, why would you bother traveling to Dubai if there is a richer purse in the states to run for? If you are a foreign horse thinking about running in the Classic, why run in that one when there is a race a couple of months later for $7 Million more?

Either way, I don't know how this could possibly be profitable for the sponsors. The World Cup is backed by massive oil money and I'd be surprised if they break even on the whole thing. We are now talking about ponying up $7 million more than the BC Classic for a single race on a single day in January. Makes zero sense to me.

Who knows, maybe this becomes the Triple Crown for older horses. :rolleyes: Win all 3 and rake home $13 Million in less than 5 months.

[CincyHorseplayer]

How about Arc De Triomphe, Breeders Cup Classic, and Dubai World Cup?

That would be one hell of a triple.

[dilanesp]

To piggyback on Lemon Drop's post, basically all the big sports events in the UAE are- take your pick- loss leaders or bread and circuses. None of them are profitable in the narrow sense.

And that's how the DWC warps the sport. Basically it poaches horses from our handicap division for a one-off that our races can't compete with because it doesn't have to make a profit and ours do.

[olddaddy]

If around last year would a 12MM race have kept american pharoah around for another race?

[biggestal99]

To piggyback on Lemon Drop's post, basically all the big sports events in the UAE are- take your pick- loss leaders or bread and circuses. None of them are profitable in the narrow sense.

And that's how the DWC warps the sport. Basically it poaches horses from our handicap division for a one-off that our races can't compete with because it doesn't have to make a profit and ours do.

Well i would not use the word warp. Sometimes people do things without much chance of profit. Horse ownership in general is a losing propasition yet millions are spent on untested yearlings.

We all know that Meydan racetrack doesn't turn a profit, yet its owner is one of the world's foremost horse owner.

Dubai racing helps horse owners out by giving them a fair shot at recouping some cash.

If meydan closed tomorrow what is the alternative, the big cap at a mere million, great horses deserve to race for mega bucks.

Allan