The Breeders' Cup's problems start from the name - BREEDERS' Cup. The program was designed originally to create ONE big race that would have enough purse money to tempt owners to keep from retiring their star 3yos before the end of the year, or to keep them in training for their 4yo season. It would be funded by money from stallion owners, primarily the big name stallions whose sons were the prime candidates for early retirement, and foal nominations, mostly from high-end ffarms.
Unfortunately, horses like John Henry, by a mid-level stallion, or horses from other parts of the world, were put behind the eight-ball from the beginning, since they nor their sires were likely to be nominated and so had to pay outrageous supplemental fees that generally weren't worth the gamble. The Breeders Cup has never been the level playing field that one ought to have for determining championships.
The most damaging Breeders' Cup additions to the original plan are the sprint and the 2yo races. I remember when sprint races were merely preps for longer races and the champion sprinter award was frequently a consolation prize for a miler who couldn't last 10f. When grading started there were NO G1 sprints and only a couple of G2s; now one sees them every third weekend. These days people BREED for BC sprint winners, instead of getting sprinters as a normal byproduct of trying to breed classic winners. And don't get me started on the damage to 2yos knees that 2-turn races from early September onward can do as youngsters are prepped for the BC.
|