Last Saturday’s Toowoomba Cup winner Pornichet was dominant in his victory, and was strong enough to ponder what might have been had he gained a surely deserving start in Group 2 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast a week prior.
In the lead-up, Pornichet ran an excellent three length fifth placing in the Group 1 Doncaster (1600m) before coming to Queensland. Prior to that he had strolled in at Rosehill in the Group 3 Neville Sellwood handicap over 2000m at Rosehill.
Yet he failed the necessary qualifying clauses to gain a start in the Hollindale, whilst horses coming in first up from a spell or with inferior recent form did start.
As it turned out the winner of the race was an Emergency runner named Leebaz. He was first emergency, whilst Pornichet was left languishing as third emergency.
This isn’t the only recent example where a horse that deserved to get a starting berth was relegated to Emergency status.
Three-year-old colt Kuro was another in the Galaxy Handicap (Group 1) at Rosehill on March 21. He was first emergency and topped my historical profile for the race.
His form was excellent and included a Group 1 third to Brazen Beau in the Cooolmore Stud Stakes the prior Spring at Flemington. Brazen Beau had franked that form well and truly by winning the Newmarket handicap against the best sprinters in the country a week earlier by three lengths.
Thankfully, Kuro’s trainer Joe Pride scratched stablemate Tiger Tees from the race which allowed him to gain a start.
The horse didn’t end up winning, but he ran a mighty race to finish second.
The next glaring example was the Doncaster Mile at Randwick on April 1 where two of our best three year old colts, Sweynesse and Kermadec failed to make the field proper, and were first and second reserve runners.
Kermadec had topped my historical profile for the race and was highly fancied by punters.
His third in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes two weeks earlier wasn’t deemed a good enough prerequisite.
What is the point of running in the major lead up races, performing well, yet still being unable to get an individual horse into a race it has been specifically set for?
Sweynesse wasn’t quite as well credentialed as Kermadec in my opinion, but was also popular in the betting market for a reason.
The trainers of both colts came to the rescue again with John O’Shea (Godolphin) scratching It’s Somewhat in favour of Sweynesse, and Chris Waller scratching Moriarty due to the wet, which let in Kermadec. Thank goodness, because Kermadec proved far too good in winning the race, albeit Sweynesse disappointed again.
But which horse ran better at it’s prior start? Surely Kermadec with a Group 1 placing last start against older horses.
I don’t pretend to understand the intricacies of rules and regulations that govern wich horse gains a start in these big races, and it is different in every state, and perhaps with every race club as well.
But horse racing is a sport that waxes and wanes in popularity and struggles for clear credibility at the best of times. Explaining to a casual punter why the best chance in a race might not get a run is no mean feat.
I am reminded of the saying: common sense isn’t common, but surely common sense must prevail in regard to having in-form horses contest our best races.
That comment may provoke strong feelings from many but I’m not talking about horses that are in form, yet have little hope in the race. All of the horses I have mentioned were high up in betting markets, and highly fancied by well-informed racing people.
Form must matter more than old glories from some seasons prior. Perhaps horses that have significant black-type to their name but no form are given emergency births instead of starting.
There is no obvious answer, but there is an imperative: we must get the best horses competing in each race.
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