Inducement for stamina-building breeding?

Originally Posted by paisjpq

it was a reference to a certain someone who finds my eating habits rather unorthodox....free-range as in outdoor chickens (from the Amish farm up the street in this case)....grain fed as in no hormones or other animals.

You trust Amish that are roaming about with chickens at night by candle light?

Subject:
Ulitmately the people that watch racing are going to have to want to lay down money on longer races. The longer races would be carded more often, feedback mechanism... ?

Is this not what it would take for longer races to actually find a viable niche? It it pretty obvious quarter horse races are not as popular as T-breds and my guess would be they are to short and subject to a greater degree of randomness.

[ELA]

As far as "inducement" -- OK, here's the deal. First, there is no "just one answer" so to speak. It must be multi-faceted. It must be economic based and/or driven -- breeders and owners. Second, it needs to be long-term. This won't happen in one meet. It won't happen in one year.

You need to start looking at races where horses are eligible -- if their sire won at a certain distance or more, if the horse himself won at a certain distance or more, twice at a distance or more, and so on. Set the limit (1m and 1/16 or 1/8) and then add to it. Get a higher purse attached to it, or make it a series (not very popular in thoroughbred racing) with a stake at the end.

Now, with the breeders -- you have to look at bread and butter breeder. In today's day and age, there is very little you can do to totally overhaul an "industry". Far too many -- almost everyone who plays the young horse game -- they'd rather pay more for a more finished product. Sure, there are exceptions, but the pinhooking game has become a monster industry. Thus, the breeders breed for it, the pinhookers buy for it, and so do the end users. Because the economics are there. Try and get the BC to offer more money for the 3yo's and older horses than they do for the 2yo's -- and the big time breeders will have you thrown out of the industry.

Where do you start? Again, multi-faceted. Revamp various statebred programs -- by collaborative, strategic alliances (yeah, I know, never gonna happen) -- and offer graduated breeders awards (perhaps age, distance, series/stakes). Have sponsors direct money toward older horses and longer distance races. Make it worthwhile. Creative, out of the box thinking -- which this industry has always had trouble with.

I'd love to see it, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Eric