Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasept
I know it's clever and fashionable to suggest that North American horses just can't hold up like the so superior International brethren, but it's a fallacious assertion.
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Essentially, the difference is that North American horses are trashed by their handlers. They are run or trained year round with no dedicated time off (unless injured) and run/trained under more unforgiving conditions (hard surfaces, tight turns, one direction, housed in urban areas). Not a particularly admirable method of conducting the sport.
There is something to be said for a delineated season between April-October, where both the horses and the racecourses get some respite. This imparts some durability and longevity that is woefully lacking here. Hence, over there, you can maintain a healthy a sprint division, a miler division, a middle distance division (10-12f), and stayer division. Here, you have about 75% of the races carded at sprint distances and a smattering of 8.5f and 9f events--all with dwindling field sizes. There are only 4 Grade 1 10f races left for open company and there might be only a pair of Grade 2s (Suburban, Hawthorne Gold Cup). If this is the tradeoff for year round racing, I'll take the former.
Some international spots still hold National Hunt and all-weather races during the winter months, but with essentially a different horse population. So its not like the sport is on hiatus by any means if people are solely interested in wagering events.