US races getting shorter

[WinterTriangle]

Comments?

Interesting piece talking about the Suburban going from 10 to 9F
http://sidfernando.wordpress.com:80/2010/07/01/the-tale-of-the-suburban-cap-and-mall-culturally-significant/

"The 9-furlong approach to racing is killing the diversity of our breeding programs as well, and it’s making our racing and breeding industries increasingly separate from the rest of the world’s. This contrast couldn’t have been put in starker relief from the recent meet at Royal Ascot, where the striking diversity of Britain’s racing program spanned the range of distances from the 5-furlong King’s Stand to the 20-furlong Ascot Gold Cup—both Group 1 events, by the way............

........There was once a time, not that long ago, young ‘uns, when the Europeans came here to buy their 12-furlong Derby horses, but those days now seem a fading memory. They don’t need our stock with the Galileos and Montjeus of the world in their backyard for the classics, and for good measure they have sprinters there, such as Cape Cross, Green Desert, and Oasis Dream, and milers, such as the Danehills, that they can use, too, to breed classic horses or sprinters or milers.

We, on the other hand, settled for the cookie-cutter approach, which was pragmatic, industrial, and easily facilitated. But the suburban strip malls of our breeding and racing programs are killing the aesthetics of our racing culture—and ultimately its strength".......

[Java Gold@TFT]

It is a pathetic situation that can be traced to the emergence of the Breeder's Cup. How long before the JCGC is run at 9F? We will never see another chef d' race in the "S" or "P" categories in the U.S.. Very sad decline in values.

[joanied]

That's interesting, what you said about the BC, Java Gold...are you saying that since we've had the BC, races have been getting shorter because of it? How so?
Since the Classic is (still) 1 1/4 mile, you would think that many trainers would want their BC horses to go that distance a few times before the BC arrives...but, I guess maybe they all want to have that so called 'fresh' horse for the BC races, so, I assume, the thinking is NOT to go the distance more than 1 or 2 times before the Classic...which, as we know, is absurd.

This entire trend towards shortening races is so completley outrageous...it's the breeders that want this done, IMO...because so many new stallions just don't have the pedigree to market long distance get. Yet, on the other hand, they all want to breed a Kentucky Derby horse...isn't that kinda contradictory?
It's pathetic, really.

[nearco]

To some degree I can understand the philosophy of training up to a race by running in shorter races. I guess the Aussies do this too, in an even more extreme form... Makybe Diva would start her season out in a 7f G1 and race progressively longer till the 2m Melbourne Cup in Nov.

But it seems like you would want to race over the target distance at least a couple of times. Why wait until the KY Derby to find out if your horse stays 10f? granted, there aren't any 10f preps left anymore anyway. The BC Classic still has a few 10f preps around, though they are getting rarer than hen's teeth too. As far as I can tell, besides the BCC, there are only 5 G1 WFA races on the maintrack at 10f... Pac Classic, Hollywood GC, Big 'Cap, JCGC and Personal Ensign.
So 10f is the Classic distance and there are only 6 G1 races all year at that distance? Weird.

[46zilzal]

Both myself and a good friend noticed this long ago and HE did something to bring it to national attention in an article in Rachel's Horse of the Year edition of the Blood Horse. I had a similar article published in the same periodical in Unbridled's Derby edition back in the 90's.

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/finalturn/archive/2010/01/20/staying-around-by-erwin-wodarczak.aspx

[46zilzal]

It is a pathetic situation that can be traced to the emergence of the Breeder's Cup. How long before the JCGC is run at 9F? We will never see another chef d' race in the "S" or "P" categories in the U.S.. Very sad decline in values.
No it has been created as a corollary of the speed to speed to speed breeding tendencies creating precocious though distance limited animals.

There is simply NO stamina left in the NA bred animal OTHER THAN on the turf and usually that influence is coming from the rest of the world anyway.

DO NOT PROVIDE contests at graded stakes at DISTANCES and you do not where the stamina influences come from, as simple as that.

When was the last chef de race in the stout or professional category? Run the Gauntlet back in the 70's.

We should be yelling about this daily or we are going to have sprint only programs very soon...

[wisconsin]

Racing secretaries are simply caving in to the new thoroughbred. Force these horses to get the distance again. There was a time when the Suburban was a big race mid-summer, but now it's just another 9 furlong stakes race, and there are plenty of those to go around. More wussification of the breed, sadly.

Champions used to have to get the distance. Period. If you are a sprinter, your a sprinter. If you can get middle-distances only, then so be it. Running classic races at a middle-distance is not the way to get the breed back to where it should be.

[nearco]

Guys, it's not that horses can't get the distance. You could train most horse to run 10f, 12f even 2 miles. Look at US steeplchasers, outside of the small number that are imported from Ireland or NZ the other 95% are recycled flat racers.
The reason is because owners and mostly trainers DON'T WANT to race their horses beyond 10f. If there was a demand for those races, they tracks would card them.
The day to day meat and potatoes of US racing is 6f to 8.5f. That is what US trainers and owners want to race their horses at. Not that the horses can't go longer.

[Java Gold@TFT]

That's interesting, what you said about the BC, Java Gold...are you saying that since we've had the BC, races have been getting shorter because of it? How so?
Since the Classic is (still) 1 1/4 mile, you would think that many trainers would want their BC horses to go that distance a few times before the BC arrives...but, I guess maybe they all want to have that so called 'fresh' horse for the BC races, so, I assume, the thinking is NOT to go the distance more than 1 or 2 times before the Classic...which, as we know, is absurd.


The JCGC was still 12F when the BC came into play. It was the trainers who avoided the race because they didn't want a turnback to the BC Classic (often blamed on Easy Goer's BC). NYRA was basically forced to turnback a former 2 mile race to 10F because of the BC. Even since then the JCGC has not been a big prpep race for BC winners. This year Quality Road is looking at a sequence of 8F Met Mile, 9F Whitney and 9F Woodward as the tuneup to race in the BC Classic. He's the best horse in training and will be on the shelf from Labor Day to the BC if all goes right. Never even a mention of the 10F JCGC. Thanks a lot, Breeder's Cup.

[bisket]

the fact that races continuously being shortened to 9 furlongs has more to do with the fact that the breed in the states is predominatly a bunch of milers. a good stamina horse wouldn't have a problem running back to back 1 1/4 mile races. it doesn't take alot out of a stamina horse. now a miler thats attempting to run a 1 1/4 mile race can certainly race at the distance, and on many occassions beat a stamina runnner. afterwards though they need to be put on the shelf for a few months. thats the difference. stamina has been marginalized to the extent that we don't have enough to breed a good classic runner anymore. its time we buy a stallion from england again to help our runners.

[WinterTriangle]

Thanks a lot, Breeder's Cup.

Couldn't euros use the same excuses? The Arc? Some other race?

[joanied]

IMO, we do still have bloodlines that produce stamina...we had several in this year's Derby...the reason for breeding speed is so owners can get a fast return...all the 2 yr. old races, and, IMO, it's much easier to train a sprinter, I think a lot of today's trainers don't know how to get a horse to go long...part of that is time between races...IMO, it's generally too long...no wonder horses come up short. Works in the morning are not the same as a race. Another thing trainers don't do anymore are long gallops...seems a mile is about all they do anymore...hell, that's a walk in the park...2 mile gallops will help the horses tremendously...after a mile, they're just warming up.
Used to be a good horse got ready for the big races in 6 & 7 f RACES...then with good training, they were ready to go 1 1/4...without 5 weeks in between races.
IMO, most of our horses today can get 1 1/4 mile...unless they are strictly sprinting bred, with the right training, they can do this.
I do beleive the BC screwed things up...there are few races during the year that mean much anymore...unless they are BC PREPS...everyone with a good horse aims for the BC, and what lies in between be damned!
Horses would be a lot happier if they could get out there in the mornings and gallop a couple of miles...and race more often...there's an exception to every rule, but by and large, they want to be on the move...hell, they need to be on the move...more time out of their stalls, doing what they are meant to do.

my two cents

[thespaah]

Comments?

Interesting piece talking about the Suburban going from 10 to 9F
http://sidfernando.wordpress.com:80/2010/07/01/the-tale-of-the-suburban-cap-and-mall-culturally-significant/

"The 9-furlong approach to racing is killing the diversity of our breeding programs as well, and it’s making our racing and breeding industries increasingly separate from the rest of the world’s. This contrast couldn’t have been put in starker relief from the recent meet at Royal Ascot, where the striking diversity of Britain’s racing program spanned the range of distances from the 5-furlong King’s Stand to the 20-furlong Ascot Gold Cup—both Group 1 events, by the way............

........There was once a time, not that long ago, young ‘uns, when the Europeans came here to buy their 12-furlong Derby horses, but those days now seem a fading memory. They don’t need our stock with the Galileos and Montjeus of the world in their backyard for the classics, and for good measure they have sprinters there, such as Cape Cross, Green Desert, and Oasis Dream, and milers, such as the Danehills, that they can use, too, to breed classic horses or sprinters or milers.

We, on the other hand, settled for the cookie-cutter approach, which was pragmatic, industrial, and easily facilitated. But the suburban strip malls of our breeding and racing programs are killing the aesthetics of our racing culture—and ultimately its strength".......
it's awful......5 and 5.5 furlong races for older horses..Grade 1's shortened by furlongs....stamina is being bred right out of the Throughbred breed. It sucks sideways.
Tell ya what...I believe the elimination or near elimination of route races is contributing to falling handle and attendance.
\I for one am not excited to wager on one sprint race after another after another after another...........