CarolNJ said...

In North America we like to complain that we put too much of the stakes money and the pressure on two and three-year-olds. Perhaps that is so but it is the option of the owners/trainers to better manage the campaigns of their horses and perhaps not dance every dance to keep them sounder and race longer. With artifical insemination and smaller pools of mares to be bred, there really is not a need to retire that many stallion prospect each year. Already the richer purse structure for older horses has kept more of them in competition. Or in some instances, nature [sperm count problems] takes care of that issue. Other than some draconian measure - like barring four-year-olds from breeding - the ungelded stars of the game are going to be retired to stud.

posted at 7:58 AM on Apr 29th 2008

Allan Schott said...

Leave the Triple Crown races the way they are; there is no reason to make them give up their places to improve the purses for older horses. That being said, there needs to be a way to make racing older horses more profitable. What I would do is reduce the purses for some of the big two year old races. The large purses for 2yo races are forcing trainers to race horses that are not ready. Make the purses for the 2yos good so if you are fortunate to have a horse ready at 2 they can make good money, but not too much where you are going to gut a horse that is not ready.

posted at 7:57 AM on Apr 29th 2008

Andrew Cohen said...

I don't think my idea would cause owners of monster three-year-old colts to hold off on going to stud. But there are many excellent colts who aren not on that level and whose owners might be tempted to stick around a little longer to compete for more money and perhaps increase their stud value. In other words, a horse that is in the second tier at three might vault into the top tier with a brilliant 4-year-old campaign.

I agree the financial incentive would have to be there but I don't believe we are as far off as you might suggest.

posted at 5:10 PM on Apr 28th 2008

Paul Siegel said...

Andrew:

I understand your idea, but there isn't enough money from turning the Cane and Messenger from 3yo races into 4yo events to convince owners of the top colts to race at four.

Sire stakes have been raced at 4, as you say, but sire stakes are not where the top colts generally race, except to tune up between Grand Circuit starts. Comparing sire stakes and Grand Circuit rcaing is comparing apples and oranges.

How does making a couple of hundred thousand available at four convince owners of top colts to postpone multi-million dollar stallion deals

posted at 3:42 PM on Apr 28th 2008

Andrew Cohen said...

The idea, Paul, is that by transferring some of the money from the 3-year-old campaign to the 4-year-old campaign some owners might re-consider their decisions to immediately turn their good 3-year-olds into breeders. I believe that the New York Sires States, until a few years ago, actually did races for 4-year-olds. I think that would be great.

posted at 1:43 PM on Apr 28th 2008

Paul Siegel said...

It's a simple matter of economics. Unless you have an idea for a new source of funding, sufficient money just isn't going to be there to make it financially sensible for the best horses to pass up the opportunity to stand at stud after their 3yo seasons. For the next tier of horses we already have the Classic Series and Breeders Crown.

posted at 11:05 AM on Apr 28th 2008