“We have Guineas, Derbys and Oaks to decide the best Colts and Fillies”
And often the winners get injured and prematurely retired to stud, thereby perpetuating the breeding of weak horses. A premier race at the end of the season, open only to entires, encourages owners to resist pleas from trainers to geld their horses. Japanese trainers seem to be able to win so many grade 1 races with older entire horses, possible that’s partly because of the determination to get a Japanese Arc winner. Obsession with breeding precocious horses is destroying European racing and anything that encourages people to produce physically sound stallions is fine with me. I’m sick of seeing 2 year olds being fatally injured in their first ever race.