It's only August and I'm reading of so many horses who will train up to the Breeders' Cup: Fierceness, Dornoch, Sierra Leone, Raging Torrent, Scylla, Society.... I'm sure there are more.
Kind of depressing.
"Won't race again before the Breeders' Cup"
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MTO
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Breeders cup is approx 2 months away . They'd only get 1 more race in anyway if they space approx 1 month between races.
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Curtis
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The Breeder’s Cup—as well as the Middle East races—have led to a slow erosion of many traditional races. The Breeder’s Cup has pretty much made all the fall races impotent. Another, the Washington DC International, has ceased to exist. It used to be if you wanted your horse to win a championship, you had to hand them their lunch pail in the fall so they could go to work and earn it. In 2015, the Cigar Mile could have been the race of the Century. It very well could have seen American Pharoah, Honor Code, Liam’s Map, Tonalist along with some others I’m probably forgetting. Instead, the first three—all perfectly sound by all reports—were at their new digs having nothing left to prove. Tonalist then with a workmanlike performance, added an 8f G1 to his resume.
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Tessablue
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The BC has certainly devastated the fall racing series, but it isn't the only culprit- the abominable PA Derby/ Cotillon have cannibalized a lot of those races, and the Graded Stakes Committee seems to actively hate the sport of horse racing. Downgrading the Woodward (and the Cigar Mile, and the Clark) while keeping a bunch of crappy 3yo G1s intact is pretty much a sick joke, and I wish there was a mechanism for pushing back against it.
But also, at this point, the top horses would probably never face each other if it weren't for the BC. Win some lose some, I guess.
But also, at this point, the top horses would probably never face each other if it weren't for the BC. Win some lose some, I guess.
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Curtis
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Unfortunately though, the Woodward, Clark and Cigar Mile deserved to be downgraded. I know you’re going to counter with the La Brea and the Malibu and while I agree with the former the latter pops up with a worthy field just enough. I don’t think any prep race should be a G1, it defies logic. Some other races are neither fish nor fowl. They run a pre BC race at Keeneland each fall for older horses—Fayette(?)—it’s gets essentially the same field as the Clark, horses that are avoiding the BC. The Cigar Mile is the same thing. I’m just a romantic dreamer but here’s what I’d do with the Woodward. Have it replace the JGGC on the calendar using the latter’s conditions. Move the JCGC to Thanksgiving weekend and geek the purse up and make it an actual cup distance. At the same time just get rid of the Cigar Mile as that purse money could be put towards the new and improved JCGC. It may not give it immediate championship implications but after a renewal or two it very well could.Tessablue wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 3:12 pm The BC has certainly devastated the fall racing series, but it isn't the only culprit- the abominable PA Derby/ Cotillon have cannibalized a lot of those races, and the Graded Stakes Committee seems to actively hate the sport of horse racing. Downgrading the Woodward (and the Cigar Mile, and the Clark) while keeping a bunch of crappy 3yo G1s intact is pretty much a sick joke, and I wish there was a mechanism for pushing back against it.
But also, at this point, the top horses would probably never face each other if it weren't for the BC. Win some lose some, I guess.