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Thanks AP, I knew you had suggested something radical! I apologise for misremembering the precise details.
I think it is a good idea. It keeps the Derby at 1m 4f which should appease traditionalists, although there is a case for reducing the distance to 10 furlongs in the modern era. However, the best part of an extra two months should allow more horses to be competitive.
British racing seems to get the worst of both worlds. Our classics are run far too early in the season, for no other reason than they always have. It is hopelessly outdated.
Then, our showpiece Champions Day meeting is run far too late in the season and invariably on unsuitable heavy ground. Once or twice the Champion Stakes, one of the showpiece Group 1s of the year, has had to be run on Ascot’s jumps track!
The whole day has been a complete flop and the poor relation when compared to Irish Champions Weekend, Arc weekend and the Breeders Cup.
I personally didn’t have a problem with yesterdays televised cards even though I didn’t pick any winners, it was quite competitive and all the favourites which I rarely punt on got turned over.
The more I know the less I understand.
I agree CAS Champions Day need a radical rethink to run it on NH ground is ridiculous.
The more I know the less I understand.
I understand the commercial reason for moving the Champion Stakes. Ascot is more accessible than Newmarket and attracts larger crowds. Even though I like the Rowley Mile, the viewing is not great (especially in the autumn). However, from a purely racing point of view, the move to Ascot has not enhanced the race. To be forced to run it on a tighter jumps track is an embarrassment.
Might be tighter but Ascot’s jumps track is not too bad. Not as if there are loads of runners at the Champions Day meeting like you’d get in a big handicap (bar the big handicap at the end of the card).
Running the Breeders Cup at Delmar, now that is too tight for a “Champions Day”.
I don’t see that just because it is a “jumps track” makes it any worse than a flat track. In fact because it hasn’t been raced on since March surely it can be a good alternative on very soft ground?… And / or running it on the jumps track is surely better than not running it at all because of a waterlogged course?Value Is EverythingWithout the Classics early on in the season then there’s a far greater risk of:
The early season being boring and / or pretty non-existent. With trainers keeping their good horses back. The Trials would be buried by other racing… And there’d be fewer clashes of the generations later in the year because trainers are fixated on the (later) Classics.Value Is EverythingI do think some are looking back through rose coloured specs.
If we still had all the Champions Day races on separate days at different courses I suspect everyone would be saying we should have a Champions Day like the USA has the Breeders Cup, France has Arc Weekend and Ireland now has their Irish Champions Festival too.The only issue for me – is whether it could be moved a little earlier to have a lesser chance of soft / heavy ground… But the Champions Day should be at the end of the season, it’s what British trainers should be working towards. The season should end with a bang!
Value Is EverythingWhy they didn’t keep the traditional last Saturday of September at Ascot (which at one point was marketed as The Festival of British Racing) for Champions’ Day, I’m not really sure.
Ireland has Champions Weekend at Leopardstown and The Curragh and that’s effectively the end of the Irish season (in terms of quality).
I think there’s a Group 2 (the Beresford) after but that would be that.
The problem race for us is what we all think of as the Observer Gold Cup (I don’t worry about the November Handicap which hasn’t been the same since they moved it from Castle Irwin where they used to have 75 runners and it was always won by a 33/1 shot ridden by an apprentice carrying 4 stone 12 lbs in weight).
Where do you fit in the mile Group 1 2-y-o championship race?
Perhaps swap the Newbury/Doncaster weekend with Champions Day, scrap the Doncaster November card and run it as a two-day meeting (Saturday and Sunday) – call it the October Handicap, double the prize money and run it in mid-October as a big race alongside the final card at Newbury.
Then have Champions Day at the end of October (fourth Saturday) – more gap from the Arc, less to the Breeders Cup. Add the Observer Gold Cup to Champions Day as an 8-race card (run it on the round mile).
After that, you’d have the final Newmarket meeting (which gets no terrestrial tv coverage as they go straight into jumps mode) with Cheltenham and Wetherby the fifth October or first November weekend.
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