to geld or not to geld

Pedigree Ann · #1 01-17-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magic_idol

Not going against you as i know very little of euro racing but Takeover Target & Saintly were both geldings & won group 1s in europe

The only G1-winning Saintly I know of was an Aussie - Cox/Melbourne Cup winner; his only venture overseas was to Japan, where he became ill and couldn't start.

You're right about the Euro G1 sprints, though (and the Cup races, too) - it's mostly the classic-type races that the Euros don't want geldings in, because those are the races that determine those colts worthy of breeding on. That said, Takeover Target was another Aussie with established top-level class Down Under.

It's actually a weird mindset in England regarding entires vs. geldings. Entires are trying to make themselves stallions, so they often run in G3s and LRs where they might not quite fit to get that precious notation, instead of in the big handicaps with a couple times the money but no official black type. So you have a highly competitive 30-runner race worth $200K+ not 'worthy' of black-type, but a 5-runner race worth $35K is. Owners of good geldings in a country where purses for everyday races make no pretense of covering expenses know where to run.

One of my favorite handicappers in Britain for the last couple of years has been Borderlescott. He was able to compete in G3s and LRs, but he could earn more in the non-black-type handicaps like his favorite, the Steward's Cup at Goodwood (a win, a short-head second, and a blanket-finish 3rd) so his 'offical' stakes record only hints at how he earned his money. Even though he won a G1 last summer, his handicap earnings still exceed his 'stakes' earnings. And since he is a gelding, he doesn't need group wins to put in the stallion ads.