Quote:
Originally Posted by RichieP
The Euro's absolutely kicked ass both on the Pro Ride and turf. Yesterday was a joke as our horses basically were overmatched in practically every race.
Expect more of the same next year possibly worse as the venue will remain the same and the Euro's will have seen the destruction they did and more quality runners will be coming here.
Matching horses and pace readouts will be meaningless as winner after winner shows Euro lines with no fractional segments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6_NGtIr14c |
This published yesterday
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008...7/horseracing1
excerpt:
Curlin's failure to make the frame in the Classic was surprising enough for the local fans, as Raven's Pass, from John Gosden's stable in Newmarket, and Aidan O'Brien's Henrythenavigator filled the first two places. But it was just the last in a series of nasty surprises for American racing on an afternoon when five of the nine Breeders' Cup races were won by horses trained in Europe.
Even that statistic does not tell the whole story, as Europe did not have a runner in the Sprint, and only a no-hoper in the Dirt Mile. Look at it that way, and it was five from seven. No wonder the racegoers looked dazed as they walked into the Californian sunset. This was a rout, a rearrangement of the accepted order and the aftershocks may be felt for years.
Four British-based horses returned as winners, while Goldikova, from Freddy Head's yard in Chantilly, took the Mile with a performance that would have been the clear highlight on any other afternoon. In addition to Raven's Pass, Donativum took the Juvenile Turf for Gosden, Muhannak, from Ralph Beckett's yard, won the Marathon and Sir Michael Stoute's Conduit beat Eagle Mountain, from South Africa, in the Turf.
It was an afternoon that, from a European perspective, you hoped would never end. And in a sense, it won't, for another 12 months at least, since the Breeders' Cup will return to Santa Anita next year. After Saturday's performances, you have to expect that the Cup will be overrun with Europeans next year.