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Originally Posted by King Glorious
Yes, Blind Luck fell apart and I thought that wrapped up the division for Havre de Grace with her win in the Woodward. They could have chosen to take on Royal Delta again in the Distaff but instead chose the Classic. I’m looking back, it was kind of like the scenario you talked about earlier where a horse ducks their tougher competition for the supposedly tougher race.
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Doubt they were ducking in that specific case. Havre de Grace had just blasted the 3yo Royal Delta to the tune of 8 lengths in the Beldame a month earlier.
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When I say try something different, I mean step out of the traditional norms for American horsemen. All over the world, females face males throughout the year. I know a big part of that is due to purse disparities but it still happens. I also like how their sprint races during the second half of the year are open to horses age two and up. It’s not the norm but it’s also not unheard of to see 2yos compete in and win some of the major stakes in Europe.
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American racing as a whole tends to forego its status as a sport and instead focuses on the commercial aspects of the industry.
Why see who the best distaffer is when we can have 2 or 3 horses with near unbeaten records, triple digit speed figures, and undifferentiated black-type? Not only do I get to sell my mare at the end of her career for 6-figures but nowadays I can sell chunks of her along the way to Winstar, Madaket, China Horse Club, etc. Using top class races as acid tests to prove who is truly at the top of the heap puts all that in jeopardy.
In that respect, breaking from the norm--like running against males--will only happen in carefully tailored scenarios where the possibility of success is at a premium.
I find it interesting that Midnight Bisou was pulled from the sale to race in 2020. Sounds like a sporting gesture. However, my guess is that after she gets buried in the Saudi Cup she will quickly retire. I would also hazard a guess that the main reason she is staying in training is not for the benefit of the fans, but rather from the fear that had someone purchased the filly at the FT sale, they would turn around and keep her in training and take a run at all those rich races (Pegasus, Saudi Cup, DWC) that are just over the horizon.
In short, another business decision.