Old Course V New on Stamina

[Steeplechasing]

Tis an annual trope trotted out by all, that the new course at Cheltenham favours stamina due to its galloping nature and the configuration of jumps. Is there science behind these claims?

[Nathan Hughes]

Maybe…
The longer straights leads to going quicker for that bit longer, Tend to slow down around the bends. The bigger factor on stamina would pace and going

Blackbeard to conquer the World

[Steeplechasing]

But does going quicker for longer take more stamina than negotiating a jump, which, for most horses I’d say, costs at least a little in momentum, therefore more energy needs to be found to regain that momentum and pace; I failed Physics along with most other subjects, but logic says to me that the latter scenario above requires more effort/stamina.

[IanDavies]

Equivalent races distances tend to be slightly longer on the New Course.

Apart from that, it’s another bit of fake racing wisdom Joe is right to challenge.

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[Cork All Star]

Interesting thread. To be honest, I never noticed much difference between the two courses until Ruby Walsh started going on about it.

[LD73]

Yeah have to say Ruby’s comments on it a few years ago were quite eye opening and wasn’t something that I ever really thought that much about as being an issue until then.

You only have to see how the complexion of a jumps race changes when obstacles are dolled off due to the low sun to see it becomes a completely different test….horses must conserve some stamina by getting a breather in by slowing down in order to jump over hurdles/fences as opposed to expending more energy by continuing to gallop at a faster speed if they didn’t have to jump.

How much of a difference is anyone’s guess and I would imagine quite difficult to prove in any kind of scientific way but I would be inclined to believe Ruby being that he is the winning most jockey at the Festival and would likely have a better understanding than most on the subject.

[Mike007]

Here you go…

Cheltenham Festival: The New Course v The Old Course

[Steeplechasing]

Thanks Mike, but they’re just repeating what everyone else in racing says; there is no science there. I know which I would find harder and, trying to root out more evidence, I found this thread on reddit comparing the 400m Hurdles with a straight 400m. I’d say 90%+ reposndents find the 400m H much harder.

Unpopular opinion: 400m hurdles is easier than the 400m from trackandfield

[Nathan Hughes]

400m hurdles is 100% more stamina sapping than the 400m straight you don’t need science to be able to work that one out. Those 10% finding it easier would be because they are better at hurdling than the opposition and/or are more of a stamina athlete than a speed one over the distance

Blackbeard to conquer the World

[Steeplechasing]

Indeed, Nathan. So why would the same not be so for horses?

[Nathan Hughes]

It should be Joe.. The new course still has hurdles/fences so a bit different from 400 hurdles and 400m flat
I’ve never really thought much on it. I take it as both courses are a test of stamina imo. That hill still needs getting up at the end and the festival races are always run at as decent clip.

Blackbeard to conquer the World

[apracing]

Joe,

My view is that there’s no difference in the stamina requirement, after all the races start and finish in the same places on both courses. But the layout of the New Course is more favourable to hold up horses, especially over hurdles – think Baracouda, Inglis Drever, Big Bucks – which can give the impression that they are winning by dint of greater stamina.

It’s not so pronounced on the chase course, but it is a more gentle bend into the home straight and a longer run to the second last from the bend, both things that assist a horse coming from behind, as there’s less to check his momentum.

I’d also suggest that much of the stamina debate stems from the travails of One Man in the Gold Cup, when we all ‘knew’ he stayed 3m 2f at Newbury, so Cheltenham must be a stiffer test if he couldn’t win the Gold Cup. I’m sure you’ll remember how divided opinion was about the horse and the debate on his Cheltenham ‘problem’. Thank goodness we didn’t have forums or social media back then. The gloating from those that always said he should run in the Champion Chase would still be going on!

[Cork All Star]

Thank goodness we did not have the Ryanair either, which is where he would have almost certainly ended up running in.

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