Breeders' Cup take-aways (2) · 2.11.07

‘Irish Trainer: Breeders’ Cup Shouldn’t Be Run on Dirt’.

Jim Bolger, one of the leading trainers in Ireland, is reported as saying a dirt surface should never again be used for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Bolger never has been afraid to speak his mind, and the Racing Post newspaper in Great Britain on Oct. 29 quoted him paying tribute to George Washington, who was euthanized in the Oct. 27 Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge (gr. I) at Monmouth Park after injuring his right front leg.
… “His legacy, apart from being a very exciting champion, will be that from now on Breeders’ Cups will only be run on Polytrack. The sooner they’re all Polytrack and they cut out the drugs, it will be a better competition.
“If they had Polytrack and turf tracks without the drugs, it would sort the men from the boys.”

I would definitely agree with him about the drugs. The over-use of drugs on racehorses – bute as a painkiller, lasix to (supposedly) prevent bleeding, steroids, etc. – needs to be addressed. Use drugs to treat sick or injured horses, yes, but healthy racers don’t need them. If they need drugs, they aren’t fit to race, period.

About the racing surface, I’m not sure. I’ve always been uneasy about the Breeders’ Cup billing itself as the “World Championships” when it has never been held outside North America, and is largely focused on dirt racing, which is largely a North American specialty. The jury is still out on artificial surfaces (Polytrack, Cushion Track, etc.).

Are two separate championship series – one for dirt racing in North America, the other for turf racing elsewhere – the answer? I don’t know. The alternative would be to rotate the Breeders’ Cup among locations around the world, like a proper world championship. American horses would largely be at a disadvantage on turf courses, which are the norm outside North America. The situation would be reversed when the Cup is over here – just as it is currently. In the long run, things might tend to balance out, and fans on both sides of the issue would learn to appreciate the different racing styles on the two surfaces.

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Comments?

  1. Baloney. Dirt has been the traditional surface in North America from day one. If the Euro’s don’t want to run on dirt, they can stay home.

    — Dr. T. Yatcak · Jan 30, 09:07 AM · #

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