For many years now I have vented my displeasure at the tendency of breeders to breed for speed over stamina. Finally, others are now following my lead and warning of the danger this imposes on both the sport and the thoroughbred as a species. And the impact is mighty, believe me.
In the U.S. a 10-furlong race is a test of stamina, with 12-furlong races their equivalent to a marathon in Britain or Ireland. 2-mile flat races are so rare they are dismissed as novelty races. This is the road British and Irish breeders are now set on. Australia on the other hand is wedded to staying races, with, of course, their number 1 race, the Melbourne Cup, run over 2-miles. Which, of course, is why their owners and trainers come to Britain to buy-up any number of stoutly-bred horses with the hope of winning their world-famous race. As Lee Mottershead pointed out in his column in the Racing Post today, all the Group 1’s over 12-furlongs in Britain this season have gone to foreign-trained horses, as well as several of our prestige 12-furlong and beyond handicaps. The results from last Saturday is proof if proof were needed. It may be a bore that the Doncaster St.Leger is almost certainly bound for Ireland and Coolmore, yet if it were not for ‘the lads’ the staying division and the 12-furlong division would be so weak as to be risible. Due to the ever-lasting, I suspect, genes of Galileo, Aidan O’Brien is sure to rule the roost for as long as he wishes to continue training, with Joseph sitting in the wings to receive the honour of keeping Ballydoyle to the forefront of the sport. So Coolmore cannot be included in any condemnation of the short-sighted and self-indulgent attitude and habits of breeders. The continuation of the present, and seemingly steadfast, trend for speed, is a threat to the species. Sprinters sprint, though in retirement they become tractable, in the main they have no other purpose in life but to gallop as fast as their legs will carry them over no more 6-furlongs. This trait is pretty well useless for any other aspect of equestrian sport and reduces their appeal and value once removed from a racing stable. National Hunt trainers will run a mile from sprint-breds at the horses-in-training sales. It can be hard enough to teach a flat horse to jump, let alone to settle and drop the bridle, so sprinters are not worth the bother. Of course, many National Hunt trainers will make the attempt if an owner sends him or her a sprint-bred horse. You may argue, quite reasonably, that Red Rum was sprint-bred through and through and it did not stop him winning three Grand Nationals. He was, though, Red Rum. A god of equines; the rules simply do not apply to the likes of him. Sprint-bred horses are equally of no use to 3-day Event riders or show jumpers. Or dressage riders. Or hunting people. Or for hobby riders who want a comfortable ride around the lanes and bridleways. In fact, half the reason competition during the main jumping season is going from bad to worse is that National Hunt trainers have a limited field of ex-flat horses to buy for their owners and that is excluding the number that are bought in the summer by Australian buyers. The fact that we have two exceptional hurdles at the moment, and perhaps half-a-dozen more at Closutton (possibly), in State Man and Constitution Hill, should not hide the fact that compared to the 1960’s 70’s and 80’s when the Champion Hurdle could be as competitive as the County Hurdle, the two already named could easily get to March not only unbeaten but unchallenged. In the eras mentioned, when true champions took each other on, legends of the sport like Sea Pigeon, Night Nurse and Monksfield, to name but three, could be beaten as often as they won due to the competitiveness of the division. All of those three were, to get back to my point, were flat-bred, Sea Pigeon regally so. The only way to check this imbalance, as I see it, is to reduce prize-money for Group 1 sprints and increase prize-money for Group 1 stayers’ races, with the Ascot Gold Cup elevated to become one of the most valuable races in the calendar. Breeders need both a kick up the ass and an inducement to return to breeding for stamina, with far less kudos for breeding the winner of one of the sprint races at Royal Ascot and greater kudos for breeding the winner of the Ascot Gold Cup or Queens Vase. As things stand, breeding the winner of either of the latter two races is greeted as something of a consolation prize. It is said that in breeding stamina to stamina has the chance of breeding slow hunters; equally, if sprint-blood is bred to sprint-blood what can be achieved is very fast horses over no more than 4-furlongs. In both examples there will be exceptions and equally singlemindedness to either is a dangerous path to tread. Yet I would contend this world of far fewer horse- aware riders would be better catered-for by the accidental breeding of slow hunters rather than speedballs unfit for anything other than frightening the life out of their new owners.
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Ed Dunlop, an upright and honourable man, I suspect, has had the threat of losing his training licence (his livelihood) hanging over him for the past 12-months, apparently. One of his horses last season was found to have cocaine in its system after a post-race test. After the investigation and enquiry, the said upright and honourable man was found ‘sort of guilty’, ‘though not exactly guilty’ and given a 12-month suspended suspension. This, in my opinion, leaves him open to someone with a gripe about him making a false allegation to the B.H.A., or more dastardly actually putting a banned substance into the mouth of one of his horses due to race in the following days. Easily achieved as all that needs be done is to throw a contaminated apple into the stable of one of his horses or something similar.
It was blatantly obvious that Dunlop had nothing to do with the small amount of cocaine that was found and that the amount was too insignificant to affect the performance of the horse, yet he had to take the rap for it. The rule is unambiguous: when a horse is discovered to have a banned substance in its system the buck always must stop with the trainer. In days gone by, such scant evidence against a defendant would not be sufficient for a guilty verdict, though in the ‘two-tier’ system of justice initiated by our present Prime Minister, where the law is open to interpretation, perhaps a judge might have swayed the verdict and locked-up poor Ed for several years. His arm twisted by events, Ed Dunlop will now attempt to bring in random drug tests on his employees and is to recommend to the National Trainers’ Federation that similar impositions become mandatory in every stable. You can understand why he has decided to impose this draconian measure on his staff. Apparently, a groom taking illegal drugs, or prescribed for that matter, only has to pee in a stable for a horse to become contaminated. How is not explained. As someone who rebelled against mandatory covid vaccinations, it is hypocritical of me to support Ed Dunlop in this matter. But the livelihoods of trainers, and thereby their staff, easily hangs by a thread when the buck, no matter the contrary evidence, stops with the licence holder. Too many trainers in the past had their livelihoods stolen from them when they had done no wrong. Captain Ryan Price, for example. Back in the day of The Jockey Club, the rules where not necessarily applied to dispense justice and to root-out bad apples but as a frightener to others. Captain Price loved his horses and gave many of his old horses a home for life. He was not a bad apple but someone who could be listed beside other great trainers, Winter, Pipe, Dickinson, as a man with a rare gift, one of the greatest of the greatest. Unfortunately, there were people at the Jockey Club who either disliked him or distrusted his training methods. The B.H.A. must remain enlightened and not become as overbearing at their predecessors. Callum Shepherd, I am pleased to see, through the Jockeys Association, is to appeal against his 18-day suspension for ‘dropping his hands before the finishing line.’ I cannot say with hand on heart that his horse won that evening. He certainly did not lose and the more I stared at the photo-finish photograph the less I could convince myself that the judge had erred in his verdict. In fairness, I think a dead-heat was a fair judgement. That, though, is no longer the point of conjecture. What is up for debate is whether 18-days is a fair penalty and why James Doyle got away scot-free the previous evening at Chelmsford for a similar transgression. Let me be clear, I did not think Doyle did anything wrong. He was riding a lightly-raced two-year-old and Doyle had given him an excellent ride until the final couple of yards of the race. He had the race won, he was intent on easing him over the line and his mount sensing the release of pressure skipped sideways. Doyle was fortunate not to fall off. If he had been given a 2-day ban I would have thought it harsh. Despite his protestations, I do believe Shephard eased-off in a similar manner to Doyle as he approached the finishing line. Unlike at Chelmsford, Shepherd did not lose the whole race, only half of it. To my mind, the race should have been referred for further analysis, with any punishment deferred. 18-days, in this instant, is far too harsh and I suspect on appeal it will be reduced, if the penalty system allows (I am in ignorance here) to %-days or less. I would like to make clear, after how many years it has existed, that I continue hate and ridicule the concept of the Racing League. It is an abomination that is fun for the likes of Matt Chapman and Leonna Mayor, who captain two of the make-believe teams but a dead donkey for anyone who would who values the heritage of the sport. If the sport’s promoters cannot build an audience from the hard-work and enthusiasm of the I.T.V. racing team or from any of the great racing festivals in the calendar, a made-up parody of the sport will achieve little or nothing of value. Even Saffie Osborne winning the leading jockeys’ title 3-years in a row has brought me no joy. Horse racing, as I continue to remind people, has nothing in common with Formula 1. |
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