tompkins
06-09-2006, 02:57 PM
The grade one Belmont is a throwback to a bygone era when horses had to have stamina breeding in their gene pool to compete. In times past, there were tests that indicated IF these prospective colts could get the distance: there were actual races at stakes level that showed a tendency to go on at these marathons distances. These are getting as rare as honest politicians these days. I remember one season I found only about 15 graded stakes at 10 furlongs on more on the dirt and many were of this type: historical contests i.e. Alabama, Derby, Travers.
Two things are mutually found in the "theoretical" breeding shed: precosity and speed. MOST of the breedings (for the dirt anyway), in order to have higher commerical value, have a built-in tendecy to show a return on the cost by the time the offspring are barely physically mature. Breed speed to speed long enough and the colts competing in this race will need oxygen tanks at the far turn, or worse yet, very medicore colts WITH the stamina, are going to win this race more and more: i.e. Editor's Note and Bridstone types.
The major porblem (and I have harped on this a very long time) is that IF you do not provide a graded stakes level of competition at stamina requiring distances, how are you ever going to know where the source of that stamina is? Turf runners have that platform. It is akin to having an equation loaded up on one side. I cannot recall the last time a chef-de-race was added that was a pure solid/stout or professional since the days of Stage Door Johnny, Tom Rolfe or Run the Gauntlet.
If the racing industry does not soon begin to notice this lack of balance, we can see more and more complete illogical results from these contests because it will be a guesssing game as to which of the sprinter types drags himself home least out of gas. I realize that marathons are a bit boring, but you need them to know where that stamina comes from. This situation reminds me of that Hopi Indian name used for the great movie Koyaanisqatsi: life out of balance.
Two things are mutually found in the "theoretical" breeding shed: precosity and speed. MOST of the breedings (for the dirt anyway), in order to have higher commerical value, have a built-in tendecy to show a return on the cost by the time the offspring are barely physically mature. Breed speed to speed long enough and the colts competing in this race will need oxygen tanks at the far turn, or worse yet, very medicore colts WITH the stamina, are going to win this race more and more: i.e. Editor's Note and Bridstone types.
The major porblem (and I have harped on this a very long time) is that IF you do not provide a graded stakes level of competition at stamina requiring distances, how are you ever going to know where the source of that stamina is? Turf runners have that platform. It is akin to having an equation loaded up on one side. I cannot recall the last time a chef-de-race was added that was a pure solid/stout or professional since the days of Stage Door Johnny, Tom Rolfe or Run the Gauntlet.
If the racing industry does not soon begin to notice this lack of balance, we can see more and more complete illogical results from these contests because it will be a guesssing game as to which of the sprinter types drags himself home least out of gas. I realize that marathons are a bit boring, but you need them to know where that stamina comes from. This situation reminds me of that Hopi Indian name used for the great movie Koyaanisqatsi: life out of balance.