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Originally Posted by RolloTomasi
That may have been a more significant issue in the early years of the BC. Nowadays, with $2 million dollars on the line, and even richer races further down the road in Japan and Hong Kong, I don't think European trainers are viewing these races as mere "afterthoughts".
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Maybe afterthought is the wrong word. But the purse of the BC doesn't make it a bigger target race than the Arc. The Derby could be for $500k and it would still be the biggest race of the year for 3yos. Winning a $100k race at Saratoga would mean more than winning a $500k race at Presque Isle for most people. The Arc is the one that they shoot for. What we've seen more of lately is that some are chosing the BC and skipping the Arc, maybe using the Irish Champion Stakes as their Arc prep. In that case, you might see a European runner come in at top form but I can't help but think that the reason we have never seen an Arc winner come over and win the BC Turf is because they've already passed their peak. I already know your next question; why have we seen a number of Arc also-rans come over and win? I'm working on that.
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