Breeders Cup – The European Challenge
November 2, 2011
Don McClean points out in his piece in this weeks Sunday Times that the level of European success at Churchill Downs in Kentucky in past Breeders Cups adds up to a miserable 1.57% strike rate per visit. Awful isn’t it. Worse still in all seven attempts at the track no Irish horse has managed success.
It begs the question why in particular the Europeans have fared so poorly at Churchill Downs. We take on board the usual things about sending horses from Europe for these world championship events, namely, travel, trainers treating it as an afterthought, weather, horses gone over the top after a long European season.
When you think of all those things you wonder is it not the same for the Americans. They have to travel, cope with the weather and also have had the same in length of season. The difference then maybe how the trainers treat the Breeders Cup. The events in Europe naturally are the focus of attention for the travelling party and if considered good enough the Breeders Cup will be penciled in for one more draw at the well. For the Americans it’s maybe more like Cheltenham in look and feel. What comes before is a build up to the big event.
So possibly the difference between success and failure is simply encapsulated in emphasis. This doesn’t mean that European trainers don’t desperately want to win it, they do, but to do so may require a ignoring the traditional European prizes.
It’s hard to say in the main that the traveling party did anything different this year than in previous years. Reliance will be placed on those than have preformed in Europe once again.
Horses are individuals. No circumstance is the same. Some may like the weather,some may not. Some may enjoy the travel, some may just be too shagged to perform. The truth is we never know the answer until they hit the track.
The track is another issue, that and the style of racing. Tight turns on oval shaped tracks are far different to what European horses are used to. They then have to cope with a starting gate bell and a much quicker break than happens at home. Miss the break and your shuffled back meaning you have to come through from off he pace to win. If that’s on dirt, a surface not encountered in Europe, with the consequent kick back that’s one hell of an ask.
There is grounds for optimism. As Donn points out in his article the Americans may be short of standard. This gives the raiders hope.
You can read Donn’s article at
