Hay List would be rolling in his grave.
Australia’s sprinting ranks are in serious trouble – more trouble than they’ve been in for a long time.
For a nation that prides itself on producing world-class speed horses, we are not cutting the mustard.
The Group 1 sprints in Adelaide and Brisbane have been nothing short of disgraceful and there have been better open company sprints at Flemington on a regular Saturday.
The fact that New Zealand raider The Bostonian has pulled our pants down in not one but two Brisbane Group 1 sprints says it all.
I’m not bagging The Bostonian. He’s a lovely horse. But if he’s winning back-to-back Group 1 sprints in Australia then we have a serious problem in the depth of our sprinting ranks.
Historically, New Zealand sprinters have been a class below Australia’s, so a 1200m Kiwi horse would have to be very good to be winning at the elite level across the ditch.
The problem is that The Bostonian is not elite on his home turf. He’s good, but not great.
A kiwi horse like The Bostonian shouldn’t be dominating Group 1 races across the ditch. (AAP Image/Albert Perez)
The line-up for Saturday’ Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) is pitiful, to be blunt.
A $1.5 million race should be able to attract at least two or three gun sprinters, even in the off-season, but this is the bare bones of our sprinting ranks.
The fact that Tyzone is the third favourite to win the race says plenty about the lack of depth in both the Stradbroke and our short course horses.
Tyzone is a favourite of mine, too. He’s a Far North Queensland horse owned by a Cairns millionaire and showed his class up there before heading to the big smoke.
But nothing about his form suggests he should be third favourite in a Group 1 race, even in a handicap.
He was excellent when winning the BRC Sprint over 1350m at Doomben last month when given a peach of a ride by Blake Shinn, which made up for the howler Shinn rode in Sydney in April when on Tyzone in a Group 3 at Randwick.
But that’s his level. He’s a Group 3 horse who should be competitive in some Group 2 races in the spring.
Make no mistake, Tyzone is an excellent chance in the Stradbroke on Saturday. He’s well weighted, has drawn a good barrier for his style of racing and the competition is poor.
However, it is a blight on racing that he could be a Group 1 winner on Saturday night.
The root of Australia’s problem is that there are too many Group 1 races on the calendar.
Winning a Group 1 used to be hard and getting a start in a Group 1 used to be a privilege, not a right.
Of course, there have always been harder and more prestigious Group 1 races, but these days it’s almost like under-eights football where every good horse gets a trophy.
Racing’s biggest problem is that it has very few grand final races where you see the best of the best go head to head.
The Melbourne Cup is a grand final. The Cox Plate is usually a grand final, and you might find a good horse bound for the Melbourne Cup lining up in the race on occasion. The Golden Slipper is a grand final and The Everest is certainly a grand final.
Apart from that, there are very few races that the best horses target at the same time.
The best way to create more great races is to limit the elite prize money and amount of Group 1 races. If you have a nice horse and want to win a Group 1 then you have to beat other good horses.
We have been blessed in the last 15 years with the likes of Black Caviar and Winx, but a horse like Hay List would have just knocked up wins in this current era.
The fact that Santa Ana Lane is our top rated sprinter says it all. He’s a nice horse but he’s no star.
Santa Ana Lane made his rivals look legless in the TJ Smith, but had he tried to chase down Hay List, he would have had a heavyweight fight on his hands.
I’m not trying to take away Group 1 races from Brisbane and Adelaide. Those jurisdictions deserve elite races.
But those fat cats in Melbourne and Sydney – no doubt influenced by major breeders and owners – have ruined it by continually upgrading races.
Why would you target a Goodwood or a Stradbroke when you can just stay in Melbourne or Sydney and win a weak Group 1 there?
It’s great news for connections of The Bostonian or Tyzone, who will get their chance to win a $1.5 million race on Saturday, but it’s bad news if you’re heading to Eagle Farm and want to see a champion in the flesh.
You’ll go home disappointed.
Omnitrader
Roar Rookie
The only one not a champion is Criterion that I stated, but needed a more modern reference. I wouldn’t classify Humidor as a champion either. I get they’re deeper fields, but the weights are compressed also. Imagine if KT got to race with 58kg and a 50kg minimum.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
You have a very loose interpretation of the word Champion. Kingston Town carried 59kgs and 60kgs in Melbourne Cups. Humidor, a horse with a vastly inferior record to Kingston Town, was allocated 58kgs in 2018. Horses these days are allocated higher weights against deeper fields (don't bother mentioning horses like Bernborough, horses in those days were no better then farm ponies).
Omnitrader
Roar Rookie
Australian racing was built on handicaps and champion WFA horses used to take on the handicaps, look at Kingston Town, So You Think, Northerly, Fields of Omagh, Criterion etc.. all these horses were genuine WFA and took up the challenge, some won and some lost, but it adds to the spectacle of the race. English racing is utter dross to watch, 4 horse fields with a pacemaker and 3 from O'brien and one from Godolphin or some other richy rich. Those races shouldn't be upgraded because they are lead in races.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Actually, they should be elevated because they rate that high. It is proof that these races are contested on a consistent basis by the best horses. We should be downgrading races based on this criteria, but we won't because a race for plodders in November will be one of the first gone The term "grand final" means zero in racing. We don't see champions contest handicaps because a) because they carry too much weight, and b) WFA races are the pinnacle of racing, not just in Australia but around the world. How many G1 handicaps are there in the UK?
Omnitrader
Roar Rookie
Just because races have rated highly doesn't mean they should be elevated. like the surround or the "winx" stakes. The same horses would still go around in these races if they were a group 2 or 3 as they are lead up races to the grand finals later in the campaign. I'd say this is also why we rarely see champions contest handicaps as there are so many wfa or set weights group 1's that it can go to instead.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Your premise would hold water if a number of NZ horses were beating our sprinters, not just one, who is obviously very smart. Sunline wasn't any good because she was from NZ? Santa Ana Lane isn't a star? How many other 5x Group 1 winners are not stars? "But those fat cats in Melbourne and Sydney – no doubt influenced by major breeders and owners – have ruined it by continually upgrading races." You do know how races are elevated, don't you? Race clubs and governing bodies can't just elevate a race for the sake of it. A race must have an international rating of at least 116 for 3 consecutive years, and that is based on the first 4 across the line, not the quality of the winner. And NSW and Vic have veto claims over each others claims. But you researched this all before writing your article, didn't you? Why would you target a Goodwood or a Stradbroke when you can just stay in Melbourne or Sydney and win a weak Group 1 there? Which Melbourne or Sydney sprinting G1's are weaker then these 2 races? And the Stradbroke is a handicap. By their very nature, it is highly unlikely to see a champion contest a handicap
peeeko
Roar Guru
agree, no real stars. perhaps its due to the competitiveness of the sprinting ranks. easier to be a star at 2000 metres where you dont have to beat much
Matt Nicholls
Expert
I think they were strong from a competitive point of view, but no real stars.
peeeko
Roar Guru
Agree with most of what you say. Definitely too many G1 races but I wouldn’t use Brisbane and Adelaide as evidence I thought the Newmarket and TJ were extremely strong this year