Interview w/Criquette Head-Maarek: 'big mistake for the breeding industry'

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lurkey mclurker
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Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:59 am

What Criquette Head-Maarek sees as ‘a big mistake for the breeding industry’

https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/arti ... -industry/
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?

The mentality of horseracing people. Everyone wants to do things fast. Before, there were more owner-breeders here and people in the game used to be patient and prepared to take their time with racehorses and breed more middle-distance runners in France, which the country was famous for. How times have changed! The business has become more commercial and, just like other countries, we are breeding more and more racehorses in the range of 1,000m - 1,600m, with owners looking for quick returns on their outlay, to run as 2-year-olds

If you push them too early, you can damage horses, create problems of not training on and cause possible long-term defects for breeding. But that’s what the commercial market wants, to breed quick-return racehorses and fewer of those capable of running up to the classic 2,400 metres distance who may not run till 3 years old.

I think it’s a big mistake for the Thoroughbred breeding industry.
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The Doctors Saint
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Fri Jan 11, 2019 7:28 pm

Thanks so very much for posting this. Hits the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned and I wish there were more people with her background and success that saw things the same way.
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lurkey mclurker
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Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:15 pm

Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:36 pm

I admit the rest of the interview, aside from the challenges facing today's trainers/owners/stable staff, was pretty soft. But those two questions I thought were pretty bang-on and she didn't flinch away from giving blunt responses.
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