The "Unofficial Champion Stayer Award" · 18.07.08

Readers will remember that I’ve called for an equivalent to the Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter for stayers or distance horses. There is no North American equivalent to the year-end stayers’ titles awarded in Australia, Hong Kong, and Europe. This oversight, dating back to when the Daily Racing Form first began naming annual champions in 1936, is partly due to historical reasons.

Back in the day, it was assumed that champion-calibre horses could naturally race over a distance of ground (1 1/2 miles and beyond) as well as the “classic” distances (1 to 1 1/4 miles). Sprinters were considered specialists who could not be expected to compete for Horse of the Year or other divisional honours, but who often showed sufficient talent to warrant their own awards category.

Over time, the ideal of horses needing to display stamina as well as speed to be considered for year-end honours fell out of fashion. True “stayers” remained, but no specialist championship category was offered. Instead, distance specialists gradually fell off the radar as the sport and the breeding industry began emphasizing speed and precociousness. Classic distance or “cup” races like the Saratoga Cup and Jockey Club Gold Cup were shortened. Turf racing, where stamina was still considered valuable, served as a last refuge of horses with staying pedigrees, where they formed essentially a niche within a niche. Those stayers that couldn’t handle grass courses were relegated to the claiming ranks, ungraded “marathon” race series at second- and third-tier tracks, or steeplechases.

This year the Breeders’ Cup is introducing the Dirt “Marathon”. In addition, several new distance races have been carded by racetracks, and other established races have been lengthened, to serve as preps for the new race. A “Marathon Division” has also been instituted, using the standard Breeders’ Cup point system. While this works fine in determining which horses get to run on October 25, it is not necessarily intended to choose a year-end distance champion. It also ignores the performances of turf stayers. Stamina, as a desired characteristic in horses and their pedigrees, continues to play second-fiddle to speed.

To help correct that imbalance, and as part of this blog’s continuing effort to give due recognition to the distance specialists who best represent the qualities of stamina and durability in the Thoroughbred, Left Coast Racing presents The Unofficial Champion Stayer Award.

At the end of the year, the unofficial title of Champion Stayer will be awarded to the horse whose performances in North America at distances of 1 1/2 miles and beyond, on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces, are deemed to be superior to its rivals. This will be determined using a points system similar to that used by the Breeders’ Cup for its divisional standings:

  GI GII GIII/ Ungr.
1st 10 6 4
2nd 6 4 2
3rd 4 2 1

The primary difference here is that ungraded stakes are also included. This permits consideration of those new races which remain ungraded but which are included in the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” series, and so logically deserve consideration for the purposes of the Champion Stayer award.

Note also that I’ve given ungraded races the same value as Grade III’s. There are two reasons for this. First, I did it for the sake of simplicity — this way, the existing Breeders’ Cup points system could be easily adapted without having to adjust the point distribution. Second, as Breeders’ Cup preps these races will tend to attract higher-class horses than ungraded stakes normally would — for that reason they arguably deserve quasi-GIII status, at least for this year. However, in the event of a tie, points earned in actual Grade III races will be weighted more heavily.

Also in contrast to the Breeders’ Cup “Marathon Division”, turf races are considered as well as races run on dirt and synthetic surfaces. To me, a stayer is a stayer, regardless of the surface the horse runs on — just as (in theory at least) the Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter can go to a horse racing on dirt or grass, or both. Also, even with the new races being carded this year, the majority of stayers’ races are still run on grass — counting only dirt and synthetic surface races would not provide an adequate sample of races from which a champion could be determined. However, in recognition of the historical prominence that dirt racing still enjoys in North America, in the event of a tie points earned in dirt races will be weighted more than those from turf or synthetic surface races.

One thing about which I remain undecided is where the Dirt “Marathon” should fit into this system. The race is officially ungraded, just like the other new races that the Breeders’ Cup is introducing. However, as the race is the unofficial stayers’ championship, it could arguably be given quasi-Grade I status. Again, I am undecided on this issue — feedback from readers would be welcome.

Mid-year standings (as of 15 July 2008):

Warning Zone — 12 points
1st: Sunset Breeders’ Cup Handicap (IIT); 2nd: San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (IIT); 3rd: San Luis Rey Handicap (IIT)

Big Booster — 11 points
1st: San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (IIT), Gallant Man Handicap (ungr.); 3rd: Tokyo City Handicap (III)

Da’ Tara — 10 points
1st: Belmont Stakes (I)

Porfido — 9 points
2nd: San Luis Rey Handicap (IIT); 3rd: San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (IIT), Sunset Breeders’ Cup Handicap (IIT), Round Table Handicap (ungr.)

On The Acorn — 8 points
1st: Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (IIT); 3rd: San Luis Obispo Handicap (IIT)

Cedar Mountain — 8 points
1st: Round Table Handicap (ungr.); 2nd: Sunset Breeders’ Cup Handicap (IIT)

Delosvientos — 6 points
1st: Brooklyn Handicap (II)

Dancing Forever — 6 points
1st: Fifth Third Elkhorn Stakes (IIT)

Boule d’Or — 6 points
1st: San Luis Rey Handicap (IIT)

Spring House — 6 points
1st: San Luis Obispo Handicap (IIT)

The standings will be updated periodically as part of the “Stayers’ Watch” series. The next such update will come after this Saturday’s running of the Greenwood Cup at Philadelphia Park. A win by sentimental favourite Evening Attire in that race will vault him into contention for the our unofficial Champion Stayer title.

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