Quote:
Originally Posted by cj
There were several on the card that would have to be honest. Not sure what has happened to our sprinters, but they stink. Are too many trying to be turned into distance horses?
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I posted some data a year or two ago that looked at the 10 best winning Beyer figures every year by category going all the way back to when they were started in DRF. The averages were remarkably consistent. There would be an occasional good or bad year but it would eventually mean revert.
It suggested horses suddenly started earning lower figures the same year as the Big Brown steroid controversy (which was followed by no more steroids the next year). The sprinters dropped more than the routers (which I think makes sense). That's far from proof, but it's quite a coincidence.
I don't buy the stretch out idea. Trainers have always tried to stretch horses out because there's more prestige and money routing. If anything it used to be worse because the young sprinters used to be able to qualify for the Derby off some of their early form. Now with races like the Derby out of the question they drop back to sprinting faster.
The field would have looked a bit better if Jack Christopher stayed in and Gunite chose the right race.