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