WHY STAMINA IS IMPORTANT TO THE BREED.

​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.