IS DUBAI THE NEXT ‘WORLD THOROUGHBRED CHAMPIONSHIP’ LOCALE?
In an article from the UK’s The Guardian, Greg Wood looks at the future of racing in Dubai and despite a recent financial problem for the Middle Eastern country, poses the idea that the Sheikh’s newest Meydan race course could be the site of a new world championship. He makes the claim that American racing moving back to dirt no longer makes the Breeders’ Cup a viable championship for horses in other parts of the world.
Click here for Greg Wood’s article in The Guardian
Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think
Tags: bradford cummings, Breeders' Cup, dubai, Greg Wood, Meydan, Paulick Report, sheikh mohammed, The Guardian
January 26th, 2010 at 8:26 am
Beautiful place over there but after two ventures over poly most americans would like to go back to dirt for a bit. At the end of the day, one must have a horse that handles the stuff. When it works for you fine, when it doesn’t, there’s no sense going
January 26th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Exactly what Mr. Greathouse said. If BC 2010 were to be run on poly, how many NY horsemen would go?? Very, very, few. They tried 2 years, and got nothing. They certaintly wouldn’t be foolish enough to ship to Dubai to “try” again.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:59 am
These first two commenters make the mistake of thinking of this from an American perspective. The bottom line is: racing in Dubai is infinitely more “international” than the Breeders’ Cup ever was, and chances are, ever will be. That puts them square in the driver’s seat of a true world throughbred championships.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Interesting…Mr. Paulick, Question for you, Everyone assumes that Santa Anita will be going back to dirt, My question to you, Is that a known fact or speculation? I, For one, Think the annuncement will be made that they will be switching to Tapeta. Thanks in advance…
January 26th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Tapeta in Dubai in hot weather should be really good for deep closers.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Going back to dirt is just that … going back.
We have two basic problems: safety and variability. We need to address the former for the sake of the horses and to improve the way we are viewed by the general public. We need to address the latter in order to improve bettors’ ability to handicap and to attract their continued action. Without the bettors we have a sport, but not a business.
As in most areas of racing, we need much greater uniformity. Our main goal should be to reduce the variability associated with synthetic tracks while refining the aspects that make them safer.
One synthetic surface appears to me to be more versatile, consistent across climate differences, and safer than the others … and that is Michael Dickinson’s Tapeta. This is not surprising to me because he is an experienced, persevering, and brilliant horseman with a creative yet scientific mind. I think the decision makers in Dubai have figured this out.
My suggestion (especially if we wish to participate meaningfully in the future on an international stage) is to install Tapeta at all major racetracks, enhancing safety and reducing variability while encouraging international competition in the United States. Unless we make this move, we have little basis to claim that we hold any kind of “World Championship.”
January 26th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Remember, all except one of the synthetics were developed for show horse barns and arenas. Issues such as fast or slow were not a consideration. Tapeta was developed by a racehorse trainer to be used as an all weather training/racing surface. It was tested for years in a definitely ‘mixed’ climate. It has passed all tests, especially the test of time.
That is why Rob Whiteley’s suggestion is the only way to go.
January 26th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
While everyones focusing on Mike Gill and all the horses he’s gone through…why don’t we ask the same question of the Maktoum organization?
WHERE DO ALL YOUR THOUSANDS OF HORSES GO SHEIKH MOHAMMED?
If we’re going to ask this question of one lowlife owner running horses in Pa, shouldn’t we ask this of everyone?
January 26th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I fear for US racing. As Rob Whitely quite rightly mentioned: “Going back to dirt is just that … going back.”
The US is in danger of falling behind and as a consequence, the Breeder’s Cup “World Championship” could end up being as international as the Baseball “World Series”. We all know that there’s nothing ‘World’ about that.
January 26th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
To Pat Cummings: Nothing’s truly international without the U.S. Don’t forget that our horses are second to none in the world.
I wholeheartedly disagree with those who think going back to dirt is “going back.” Clearly, there was nothing wrong with the surface that Man o’ War, Citation, Secretariat and Fager all raced over.
January 26th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
THE REST OF THE WORLD RACES ON TURF AND SYNTHETICS, NOT DIRT. SIMPLE TO FIGURE OUT!!!!
I’M AMERICAN AND LOVE RACING
The Breeder’s Cup will continue to called the World Championships, which is really just a step up from Baseball being called the World Series. Really, in name only. To be World Championship caliber, one must evoke competition that is the best from all racing districts around the globe. Like the Olympic Games. Do they have American football, no soccer is the international sport.
Before the Breeder’s Cup we had such an International race. It was the Washington DC International at Laurel, an invitational race run at 1 1/2 miles on the turf. It was one of the most prestigious races in the world. In addition to England and Ireland, horses came from many different countries including Japan, France, Italy and even from the Soviet Union during the cold war.
Currently at Meydan in Dubai, there are horses from 16 Nations, and more will be coming as we get closer to the big races. If we sent planes over to pick them up, I doubt any American race would ever draw such a cast.
I am a very proud American, but there is no way that we can say we have a World Championship of racing. We have an American Championship Day, with a little sprinkle of international flavorings.
Elsewhere in the world, they do not want to come over here to run on an unknown surface. It is already a big deal for the horse to ship the distance, then not to know if it will be a rock hard sealed track, or a sandy, cuppy one. and how the horse will react to the surface.
We made the HUGE mistake of not properly testing our Synthetic Surfaces BEFORE they were installed at any racetrack. This would have been the job of racing’s governing body. Scientific testing would have been done, and the BEST surface chosen and that particular surface installed at all tracks that wanted to go synthetic.Then they would have been the same from track to track.
With all the disaster stories of various synthetic surfaces, it seems the TAPETA is performing the best. Did anyone notice that they didn’t miss a days training or racing at Golden Gate Fields last week when Santa Anita was washing into the Pacific?? They had all the rain in Norther California as well. It has also done well at Preque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania.
In closing, I think that Dubai will surely outclass the BC for international racing, they are doing so as we speak. With the facilities, very good racing surface, large purse money and DRUG FREE racing, we better change the name now.
January 26th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
It is my understanding that the true “LOAM” needed to have a properly cushioned racing surface is no longer available in the US.
Loam is much different than sand.
January 26th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Distaffer, I don’t care (note my stressing of the word “care”) that we’re not so-called “international.” I like American racing just fine, just as I like American football, basketball, baseball, and other sports. No one is out there trying to make the Super Bowl some international event, so who’s brilliant idea is it that we should be trying to do so with racing?
And no, the rest of the world doesn’t race on turf and synthetics. They race on turf. They have no graded stakes on synthetics. In the 2 years we’ve been subjected to this synthetic nightmare, we’ve outproduced the rest of the world in the form of Zenyatta. Name a single horse that the world has ever produced that is better than Zenyatta on synthetics.
The rest of the world isn’t perfect, you know. Look at the greats that Europe has produced. It’s a pitiful, scrawny list of horses who despite running on the kinder turf, couldn’t put together a race record over a dozen starts. Yet we have a lengthy list of greats, with almost every one of them putting together far more impressive records than their European counterparts. So this notion that Europe’s got something on us is nothing more than an illusion.
January 26th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Wow, McCook, what planet do you live on?
You forgot to mention another really important point in which America leads the world: The fatal breakdown rate of horses. America gets the gold medal for that, too, but it doesn’t sound like you care.
January 26th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
As several have mentioned previously, Tapeta is the answer. The surface has performed spectacularly at Golden Gate Fields, rain or shine.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
G. Rarick, and you think synthetics are the answer? Based on what? There is no data which proves synthetics are safer than dirt tracks. Would it occur to you that there could be other things we can do to reduce the break down rate, and putting a bandaid on it — a surface — isn’t the answer? How about breeders breeding a sturdier animal, consignors not hot-housing them and causing early problems through their sales prep, getting rid of raceday meds, increased vet checks, more intensive drug testing, and banning from the sport those who have a pattern of drugging, abusing, or breaking down their horses? I could go on. Replacing the surface with synthetics isn’t the answer.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Just because Dubai installs Tapeta we should tear up Saratoga’s main track? Come now, folks that’s just asinine. Further how many fatal breakdowns have their been on Saratoga’s main track in the last couple years? I do believe the answer is zero.
A well maintained and developed racing surface as well a local climate factors are keys to minimizing risk from the the track itself.
Dubai with its mega purses (plus free shipping for invitees, etc) has been on the racing map as a landmark since its inception. Has anything changed other then the surface? Correct me if I’m wrong but US-owned and trained Well Armed won the Dubai World Cup last year and is anyone saying the world fell to its knees as result? I simply don’t see this being a game changer. Yes, perhaps fewer US horses will go there but so too was the case with Euros going to the Breeders’ Cup this year. The latter could easily to tied to purse money not keeping pace with other sources.
As Dubai continues to enjoy the luxury (how I’m not sure) of fattening monies up for grabs and retains the first-class hospitality they will enjoy the spot light. If they want to be the source for appointing World Championships in the Spring vs. the Fall I don’t see anyone stopping that. It frankly has nothing to do with dirt being dropped for Tapeta.
Regarding the love for synthetic tracks that boondoggle synthetic surface Santa Anita, albeit not Tapeta, claimed another yesterday (1/25):
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/55030/kinsella-euthanized-after-workout
You tell me how its that so many horses working out on that surface break down?! Again you never, ever see numbers like that at the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga on good old dirt.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
McCook. In your world, there is a fixation on times and records. It’s not the case in Europe. In most parts of the world horses race to win races. Not to make time records.
By the way what does all of this mean?? Quote:
” It’s a pitiful, scrawny list of horses who despite running on the kinder turf, couldn’t put together a race record over a dozen starts. Yet we have a lengthy list of greats, with almost every one of them putting together far more impressive records than their European counterparts. So this notion that Europe’s got something on us is nothing more than an illusion.”
I’d be more than happy to buy you a ticket across the pond for a little bit of thoroughbred education as I fear that you have missed out.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
George, who said anything about times? I’m talking of longevity and durability. Can you educate me regarding all your greats who’ve started 30+ times? How about 20+ times?
Who’s the top 4 European racehorses? Mill Reef (14 starts), Brigadier Gerard (18), Sea Bird (8), Ribot (16)? We’ll give you Man o’ War (21), Secretariat (21), Citation (45), and Kelso (63). The only American horse I can think of who’d be a Top 20 horse with less than 20 starts was Slew (17).
If you don’t like going back in history, let’s look at recent greats (or what some would call greats). Europe gave us Zarkava (7) and Sea The Stars (9). We offer up Zenyatta and Rachel, both at 14 and counting.
So yes, this idea we need to be more like Europe is crazy when we’re talking of horses’ longevity and racing longer. Europe has it worse than we do, and that’s despite running on the kinder turf.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
I believe the question at hand was if the BC could ever compare to the International flavor of Dubai Festival,
not demeaning our racing, just answering the question.
It is a combo pack of drugs, and breeding for speed as well as the breeding of unsound horses that has gotten us where we are today. When racing switched from SPORT, the horse was the one who suffered for human greed.
As previously mentioned, the natural material to make a well cushioned loam track is unavailable to find anymore.
I never said that we should eliminate dirt racing in America. Just that scientific research should have been done to avoid the mess we have had with some of the synthetic surfaces hastily put into place.
Sand tracks are actually an unnatural surface for horses as well. Horses in the wild do not live in the desert, but on grassy plains.
I don’t care about you disgruntled gamblers, only what is best for the horses,riders and future of our sport.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:32 am
The first question that needs to be answered sooner is how “hot” of a surface is too hot for racing period. As the tapeta bakes all day in Dubai could it reach 130 plus degrees or more ? Seems no one likes to talk about that lil gem …
York Racecourse in England is top notch and would be a suitable site for a world championship anytime
Opps i digressed….
January 27th, 2010 at 3:16 am
McCook, I’m not saying the surface is the answer - all those things you mentioned are the answer, with eliminating drugs top of the list. But the surface seems to be the only thing Americans are willing to try to change, so you might as well start there. They don’t WANT to get rid of the drugs or breed for durability.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Like all of sports championships,determination of the purse; the course; the condition; the duration and the time are in the complete purview of the association or committee in charge of the event(s). It is not within the purview of the contestants! Within them rests the decision of acceptance which ultimately determines the success of the event(s). Opinions and governance must not be confused.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Finally! Someone who had something intelligent to add to this issue.
Thank you Mr. Bob Hope!
January 27th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Grass, wide turns, straight racing, stamina, no drugs are safest.
McCook said: “pitiful, scrawny”.
Do you mean the Euro horses that train and race off-chemicals and don’t look like the super-pumped, zero fat American two and three year olds about to “take a bad step”?
BTW, anyone: are anabolic steroids finally banned in all 38 American racing jurisdictions OR are some cavemen still waiting for scientific evidence that anabolic steroids, just like corticosteroids repeatedly injected into multiple joints are lethal?
Yes, pitiful and scrawny like Zarkava and Sea the Stars?
Distaffer said: Dubai “DRUG FREE racing”? Rumors are that the drug free status is quietly waved to get the big horses.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
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