Breeders' Cup take-aways · 30.10.07
The 2007 Breeders’ Cup has come and gone. At this point I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said, apart from:
- congrats to Curlin, now a likely shoo-in for Horse of the Year, and
- condolences to the connections and fans of George Washington.
There are two other things I want to make note of, however.
First is the possibility that we might see Curlin continue to race next year, instead of being retired like his fellow 3-year-olds Street Sense and Hard Spun. Trainer Steve Asmussen went on-record as saying he wants Curlin to keep racing. Majority owner Jess Jackson is thinking about it, but says ‘We’ll see what happens…. It is a financial game’. Here’s hoping that he does the sporting thing and keep Curlin in training rather than go for the biggest pile of money.
The other development is the idea that we might see a return of the stayers’ races – races of 1 1/2 miles or longer. Breeders’ Cup President Greg Avioli stated that he supports the efforts of some East Coast racing officials to card a series of longer races that could potentially lead up to a Breeders’ Cup “Marathon”. I’ll have more to say about this in future messages, but it makes perfect sense. To me, the ideal racehorse is must combine both speed and stamina. The Breeders’ Cup has always honoured one side of that equation, with the Sprint and Mile races. It’s time to recognize the other side, represented by the stayers – the Exterminators, Princequillos, Bolingbrokes and Kelsos who could run all day if they had the chance. Here’s hoping it happens.
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What do you think?
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