"As to the quality of their dirt racing, imo winning in Dubai and Saudi Arabia is not quite the same as winning elite dirt races in the US."
That was true, but on what basis is that true anymore?
Higher purses attract higher quality horses, Japan has very deep dirt tracks and horses that are capable of running long distances while we continue to breed and sell speed
The Dubai World Cup card this past Saturday was as good as it ever has been and was dominated unsurprisingly by Japan
Japanese raiders have had increasing success at the biggest purses around the world over the past few years while American racing has been on the decline
NY racing is simply not what it used to be, California can barely fill a couple of cards a week and the California horse population is depleted on a good day
Juridictions like Japan and HK (and elsewhere in Asia in future given the rise of their economies) are only further evidence that this is going to be the Asian Century (much as I'd prefer it that American 'experts' like tlg continue to underestimate this - keep those odds inflated folks)
https://www.ft.com/content/520cb6f6-...b-ff8ef2b976c7
