Reduce St Leger to 1m 2f??

[Arkle]

Ok I'm prepared to be shot down in flames by all the tradionalists but I believe if we want to get back to having a triple crown that horses will be aimed at something needs to be done about the St Leger.

The quality of the race has been IMO in decline for a number of years now, harking back to the days of Nijinsky is all well and good but that type of horse is more likely to be aimed at the Irish Champion Stakes now than the Leger for reasons that are both commercial and future engagement related.

Horses being aimed at the Arc or Breeders Cup are unlikely to be tested over 1m 6f in potentially soft ground due to them leaving later races behind.

So do we do something about the Leger distance if the answer is yes then why not a 1m 2f race. Would it detract from the Irish Champion Stakes? It's unlikely as the older horses tend to be aimed at that and I'm sure trainers would prefer to run their classic horses against their own age group before the Arc.

It would also potentially provide that elusive clash for both miling and middle distance 3 yr olds. You would get the later maturing types as well as the early classic horses and would still allow each group time to recover for future engagements such as the QEII or the Arc.

While I think tradition is one of the great things about this sport in England sometimes change is also good.

What are peoples opionions?

[Mr R Bogglesworth]

Well you have a pretty good argument m8 but i believe it should stay the same distance it is.

This is only because i think that racing should be traditional. If the distance is changed, how do you compare recent winners of the race to today's winners or should all the records be changed because of the distance change?

But to make the races roughly the same distance is a great idea, to keep the same horses entering the races in contention to win the triple crown!

It's a tough choice, but keep it traditional i say. :)

[Mr Wiskas]

I have to say that change is sometimes good for a sport but not at the expense of tradition, where does it end? Do we put back the Guineas a month to allow the slow starters to prepare, do we delay the Derby & Oaks so horses can have more time in between the now put back Guineas? The St Leger is my personal favourite of the Classics there are too many group races between a mile and a mile and a half and not enough for the genuine stayers as horses can win a Derby when they are not genuine stayers. I applaud The Coolmore operation for continually aiming horses at the St Leger recognising that it is a classic and an important race in the calender and has been ever since it began. I can see where you are coming from but changing the oldest classic for the sake of making a race similar to other group 1's does not appeal at all to me. When you look at the favourite horses of the flat they tend to be sprinters who seem to run everyday or the stayers. I also believe for the National Hunt breeding industry to pick up in Britain the need for more staying races on the flat is greater to allow horses to develop and prove stamina, look at most Jumps races and the horses are usually Irish or French bred.

[Qu1nCy]

are u trying to say reduce the St.Leger to a 2000m race??????
i kno u ve already sed that its traditionalists and stuff, but the leger is the distance of wat it is coz its a test for 3yos

[Ascension]

There was a similar train of thought not that far back suggesting that the Australian derbies be trimmed to a mile 1/4, as opposed to the current distance of 2500m. It was met with some disdain, given that a well performed miler was now potentially a derby horse. As was already mentioned, there are a plethora of handicaps, WFA and set weight events for the 1600-2000 metre range, and given our already depleted stock of classic and staying talent, it would be an even more disincentive to breed for the longer trips.