Breaking news: Breeders' Cup Marathon lengthened · 25.01.09
While compiling the schedule of stayers’ races for 2009, I noticed that The Blood-Horse stakes calendar lists the distance for the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (Nov. 7) as 14 furlongs (1 3/4 miles). Intrigued and hopeful (considering my oft-stated opinion that 1 1/2 miles, as the Marathon was last year, is the minimum distance for a stayers’ race), I checked the Breeders’ Cup website, but there was no announcement about such a change, and the race is still listed at 1 1/2 miles. I wondered if it was merely a typo, so I sent the Breeders’ Cup organization an e-mail via their contact page — that was yesterday. Today (!!!) I received a reply from Pamela Blatz-Murff, Senior VP Operations:
Yes the Marathon has been stretched to 14 furlongs to actually qualify it as an extended race and to move the starting gate further away from the turn. The pattern of races leading up to the event will also have some longer races to help the horses prep for this distance. We are running a Marathon so it should be longer rather than shorter.
So I guess I can definitely remove those implied quotation marks.
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