It’s sad when a horse doesn’t get to fulfil their potential because of injury. It happened to Vain and Saintly. It killed Dulcify and threatened to end Atlantic Jewel’s unbeaten run at seven.
You can reason injury.
One has to accept what life throws at you. But how do you reason the retirement of All Too Hard last night?
According to racing’s newshound Andrew Bensley, with a stallion career beginning later this year, owners Vinery Stud didn’t want to take any chances by travelling All Too Hard to England for what was to be his swansong at Royal Ascot in June.
All Too Hard is a three-year-old colt with the world at his feet. Bred in the purple – from Group 1-winning miler Casino Prince, out of Black Caviar’s dam Helsinge – he was ready to peak at four.
Seven wins in a 14-start career. Four Group 1s – each of them between 1400m and the mile – won in his last five starts. Before we saw the best of him, All Too Hard is retired.
One way to reason the retirement of All Too Hard is to think of Vain (12 wins from 14 starts, including his last three by a combined 20 lengths, retired at three after injuring a leg at trackwork), Saintly (winner of the Cox Plate, Melbourne Cup and Orr in consecutive starts at four before breaking down) and Dulcify (winner of the Cox Plate by seven lengths at four before breaking a pelvis in the Melbourne Cup ten days later and being subsequently euthanised).
If you aren’t depressed, you’re certainly not satisfied. Injuries happen in most sports but that shouldn’t be reason to retire a healthy, young horse.
This is how you reason it – Vinery Stud bought All Too Hard for what is now a song. And they wanted to take their good investment to the bank.
Horse racing is only a sport if you’re talking about geldings and mares. If it’s a colt, racing moves into the realm of big business.
Nathan Tinkler handed over the Caulfield Guineas winner in December last year for $30m. And then for good measure, he threw in a second stallion, Onemorenomore, and a stud property at Aberdeen, near Scone, in NSW.
Forget racing. Tinkler is the biggest loser at the moment. All Too Hard will serve 120 mares in the spring at $66,000 a service. All Too Hard will make $8m in his first season at stud.
If he’s any good as a sire All Too Hard could be worth a nine-figure sum in eight or ten years. And that would be after already putting close to $100m in the bank.
If Tinkler held the vultures at bay for another six months, he probably could’ve sold All Too Hard today – or at least a share in him – for $50-60m in a second.
Nathan cares. But do racing fans? Probably not.
In the last three months, Australasian racing has lost four of its best horses – Black Caviar, Ocean Park, Pierro and All Too Hard.
On top of that, Mental, the best young sprinter in the country, was moved by Darley to its Arab headquarters in Dubai after the Spring Carnival and So You Think, Australia’s globe-trotting phenomenon, was retired last July.
So who fills the void?
Atlantic Jewel seems the likely candidate.
Unbeaten in her only season as a three-year old but she hasn’t raced for 12 months. AJ is clearly the best of what’s left in Aussie racing but can her legs withstand another campaign?
It’s A Dundeel won Sydney’s three-year-old Triple Crown this autumn but he has chinks in his armour. And he’s a colt. Don’t get too attached.
Perhaps we should pin our faith in the two great three-year old geldings – Super Cool the Australian Cup winner and Fiveandahalfstar the VRC Derby and BMW winner.
For starters, these two horses won’t be going anywhere for a while. They have already met four times so their owners aren’t scared of a tough match-up, and they can stay a decent trip which makes for interesting times in the spring.
I could finish this article by showing you the best of All Too Hard but I’ll let Vinery Stud’s soon-to-be-released television ads do that.
Let’s look to the future.
peter martin
Roar Rookie
what defines a champion? the European and US racing scene have multiple champions each year. Why is Australia such hard marking in racing? We (Aussies)don't even mark that hard in other sports - how many champions in AFL (club champion awarded every year - not to mention other awards), NRL ( multiple in any club), Swimming (national champion for every discipline), cricket (maybe not at the moment). If you win the national title in any given year in most sports - you are most likely considered the champion. I think we overcook the ratings scale of what it takes to be considered a champion. When you consider how many foals are born in each crop (22,500 in 2012) - and how many end up winning a golden slipper (or a group 1 at all), makes me think that the grading scale is a bit high. Tough crowd if we have to wait 10 years between champions at times. I can recall a debate about whether tie the knot should be graced with the title champion - crazy!
nan
Guest
Long gevity my friend- do it over a long period- No Doubt a champion 3yo i said that but will never rate up there with a kingston town, manikato, so you think or BC
peter martin
Roar Rookie
I disagree - take All to Hard - he has beaten his own grade/age at 2 and thee. Ran second cox plate by a lip and destroying the rest of the field as a three year old (only exceptional 3 years old can compete at that level in the cox plate). He then went on and put away the best older horses at weight for age in the autumn 3 times. That is a champion in my eyes...not sure what you look for them to achieve.
sheek
Roar Guru
Nan - Agreed.
nan
Guest
There is another point in all this and i hope we dont get get carried away as we always do. Can a horse who won 4 group 1s and retired as a 3 yo ever be called a champion??? Champion 3 Yo yes but never a Turf champion.This is the difference between a So you think and an All too hard. I dont think All to hard would have won in europe and we will never know if he would be a better 4yo than 3yo. Furtune favours the brave and the owners were not brave.
sheek
Roar Guru
Justin, You know my thoughts on champion race horses being retired too early & sent to stud with unseemly haste. All in the name of greed. These carpetbaggers & robber barons ruining racing for the average sport lover should be run out of the sport & told to take up another occupation. Like maybe corporate bookmaking - plenty of shady, rip-off merchants there..... It might be the real world, but I don't have to agree with it!
Justin Cinque
Expert
You're correct. My mistake, Lonhro won a Prelude, not the Blue Diamond. Not sure there's heaps between All Too Hard and Lonhro at three but would give the nod to All Too Hard (even though Lonhro never lost at 3). Thing is though, Lonhro was given a chance to go on and become a champion. All Too Hard wasn't. You make very good points.
peter martin
Guest
Justin - Lonhro did not win a Blue Diamond - he won a Blue Diamond Prelude and ran forth to true jewels in the Blue Diamond. All too Hard's race record at 2 and 3 is significantly better than Lonhro at both 2 and 3. I agree - I think he would have won everything under the sun by the age of five... the breeding game is heading towards the European model - colts are worth to much money to keep racing. Pierro and ATH were also elite 2 years olds, colts and they trained on to weight for age at 3 - This is not all that common in Aus....
John Vizzone
Roar Rookie
Agree with the various sentiments but as in my most sports, new players or horses on the scene will come up and take their place. Except the great Black Caviar. That is why she is the best of the best. There will never be another one like her.
Alfred Chan
Expert
“She is in fantastic condition. She is a beautiful, big strong filly,” O’Brien said. “She has had a couple of months work at Barwon Heads to put a bit of a base into her. “She is pushing on towards her first barrier trial I’d say in six weeks or so.” O’Brien said he thought time would be against Belle Couture running as a two-year-old. “It’s going to be right in the middle of winter before she is ready,” he said. “We’d be looking at early spring with her.” http://www.racingnetwork.com.au/belle-couture-not-likely-to-debut-until-next-season/tabid/83/newsid/12961/default.aspx PS: I'm amazed by how many horses out there know how to tweet.
BBP
Guest
Quashed when ? Last I heard (on her Twitter account) she was preparing for a race in a month or so.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Belle Couture! She has recently been moved from the spelling paddock to Danny O'Brien's Flemington stalls. There was speculation that it meant she would run once or twice as a 2yo but that has since been quashed. She's just checking out Flemington and will be prepared for a spring debut. $2.6m purchase out of racing's royal family. Redoute's Choice x Helsinge. She'll now carry the family flag and she's got some fine bloodlines!
BBP
Guest
Moody might be able to sprinkle some magic on Proisir too ...
BBP
Guest
I seriously doubt AJ will get back to her best. It's a Dundeel will win 3-5 G1s within the next 12 months. One run too many at the last start (and he still ran 2nd !). Just sit back and clap.
BBP
Guest
Don't forget Maluckyday is gone too. But for a bout of life threatening pneumonia that horse could have been the best (male) stayer produced in this country for decades. A very serious race horse. A sad loss.
Bondy
I tend to agree when you dilute a product you end up with horses like Ashokan being labelled special possibly. Ashokan may very well be a wfa horse next prep "theres nothing left" and he's won one race.
Justin Cinque
Expert
Well, I think if he was given the chance to run in 15-18 Group 1s in the next 2 years, he probably win 11-13 of them which would take him to 15-18 G1s. Chances are, if they raced on, he probably would've been kept only to a handful of G1s - sparingly raced. Yep, carn the geldings.
Cameron Rose
Expert
Excellent points there Justin. Wow, 15-20 Group 1's is a huge call for ATH, but it's all mere hypothetical now. It's getting to the point where I'll be barracking for geldings in all two and three year old majors. We need a few more Northerly's, Fields of Omagh's and El Segundo's.
Justin Cinque
Expert
You are very true about horses being outstanding relative to their peers. Australian racing is in danger of re-entering a period where good horses are made to look better than they are because of a lack of opposition. There will be a lot of pressure on this batch of two-years-olds to step-up. Yeah - Skytastic will be good in time. I wish I knew he was going to bungle the start! He was average away on debut but nothing like Saturday. I think he could be a horse that you keep an eye on - wait until he gets in a winnable race over 1400/mile and maybe follow him if he can begin to work through the grades. He's definitely got ability.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Nice article Justin. It's sad to lose good horses like this but even if we don't like it I think most of us understand that's the nature of the business. There will always be good ones come along and fill the space. That's because they will be outstanding relative to their peers. Later on, time may judge how good they really are, relative to past champions, but every year we will still have more exciting horses and performances to talk about, within that current time period. Justin, your tip Skytastic finished the race off well and looks like a good prospect - only that you forgot to mention that it still needs barrier lessons....