JC / Railbird

Champions’ Day

Big changes to the 2011 British racing fixture list, not least a new event:

At long last, racing has officially announced the arrival of British Champions’ Day, with £3 million in prize money making it the richest fixture in British racing history. It will be staged at Ascot on 15 Oct 2011, with a six-race card that officials hope can be built into an extravaganza to rival the Breeders’ Cup and Arc day.

France Galop, which wants three weeks between the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Champions’ day, isn’t happy. BHA is going ahead regardless.

In a move that will seem familiar to even the most casual observer of the Breeders’ Cup, a British Champions’ Series, with five championship categories, will lead to Champions’ Day. It’s a bit of a “red herring,” notes the Telegraph. Not at all, said an executive involved. “They [the races] are signposts for newcomers to racing.” It’s about marketing and branding, of course.

Which reminds me, Bill Oppenheim wrote an interesting, straightforward account of how the recent Breeders’ Cup developments came to pass for the September 23 Thoroughbred Daily News. Emphasis is on the effects to the breeding industry, with glimpses into how the BC “narrative” is being crafted.

The strange career of Square Eddie continues. Retired early this year to stand stud at Vessels Stallion Station in California, the 4-year-old colt has been returned to training. “After he was done breeding, we checked his legs and they were cold and tight,” trainer Doug O’Neill told the Blood-Horse. “We have got him back on the track for Chapter 2.” It might be more accurate to call this episode Chapter 3, since Square Eddie was already returned to racing once after suffering setbacks during the 2009 Triple Crown season. The juvenile graded stakes winner was unplaced in his four post-injury starts as a 3-year-old, prompting the end of his running days. Asked Foolish Pleasure on Twitter, “Why is it always Doug O’Neill? Doesn’t that just say it all?”

Alan Shuback cuts through the surface debate: “[I]nstead of forever arguing over whether we should be racing of dirt or synthetics, we should be building racetracks with long straights and milder turns.” It’s an argument for a more European style of racing, but then, what do we have to lose? Not more horses.

Theyskens’ Theory and undefeated White Moonstone, two very exciting Euro babies out of a bumper crop this year, are set to meet in the Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. Both debuted in July, both will be making their fourth career starts. Also running at Ascot on Saturday is Frankel, who will face five in the Royal Lodge Stakes. The well-regarded Henry Cecil trainee will be making his third start since debuting in August.

“The one thing that we’re doing a little bit differently this year is skipping the last possible prep for some of the horses and going into it with a little more time,” trainer Todd Pletcher informs readers of the At the Races UK blog dedicated to the barn’s Breeders’ Cup contenders. “Of course, with our two-year-olds, most of them will need another start.” So, wow baby Uncle Mo will get his second career start and final Breeders’ Cup prep in the Champagne at Belmont, Curlinello will make his second start in a Monmouth stakes, and Stay Thirsty, who has run three times, may or may not train up to Churchill.


3 Comments

It goes without saying at this point, but if the object of adding more “Championship” races to calender in the hopes that newbies will have a better grasp of how the top level season operates, then it seems totally counterintuitive to squash these races in between the Arc and the Breeders’ Cup, where they will exist as another choice for avoiding the appetizing matchups that actually decide championships, now that the modern age yields not many good ones traveling *and* running back in the 2-3 week range.

There was too many top level races all over even before this. The Breeders’ Cup added races are a running joke among players at this point. Can you name 3 horses from last year’s Marathon, Juvy Turf. etc? Devaluing a brand for the marginal added handle and questionable benefit of breeders is a lock to fail in the long term overall picture. Not to mention that tracks create cupcake races to lure the top horses for even more marginal attendance buzz and extra rewards for owners — a bounty on killing competitive “sportsmanship”.

The season is getting more incoherent with these added changes and this is coming from a fan who follows racing on an everyday basis. If the top horses are going to continue a trend of running less and less and there’s lots of choices on the menu for them, then we can expect to see unfulfilled matchups, disillusioned hardcore fans, confused newbies and guessing games when it’s time to decide who was really best since it’s clear that it will not be decided on the track.

Posted by o_crunk on September 24, 2010 @ 2:50 pm

[…] Read his whole comment, it’s nothing but good points. […]

Posted by Jessica Chapel / Railbird v2 - Not on Track on September 25, 2010 @ 9:14 am

[…] Chris Rossi, aka o_crunk, commenting here and in a recent Thoroughbred Times Today piece, has pointed out: The game is getting watered down […]

Posted by Jessica Chapel / Railbird v2 - Thinking Ahead on September 30, 2010 @ 5:17 pm