In a previous thread you said you were
"strongly against Sprinter Sacre running over anything other than two miles for the rest of his career. Stepping up in trip would be taking a needless risk with the horse’s wellbeing and future career".
Nobody saw the slightest evidence of that today. His breathing operation was two years ago and he has obviously recovered from it 100%. He ran twice on pretty desperate winter ground this season and performed superbly.
I just don’t understand where this theory is coming from.
Mike
Sprinter Sacre is a very large horse. Large-framed animals are widely suspected to be much more prone to exercise-induced breathing problems. Remember Mad Max, Quewetwo and Sexy Rexy. His fragile breathing has already surfaced as a novice hurdler – and corrective procedures for such problems are never permanent. They are ‘quick fixes’, but can withstand years of racing if the horse is managed sympathetically.
To say that his performance today allays all fears about longer trips damaging the horse is jumping to an irrational conclusion, in my opinion. An easy 2.5 miles on a flat track is nothing compared to 3 miles+ on winter ground. Remember how tired the horses finished in the King George this year. Obviously, Sprinter Sacre’s breathing is a timebomb that may go off at some point in his career. Hopefully connections remain wise to this and keep the horse dominating at shorter distances, or intermediate trips on sharp tracks on good ground.
Sorry TYF but I just can’t agree with anything you are saying. Sprinter Sacre is patently fit, well and in superb form. The idea of him being campaigned a few races a season against a modest bunch of two-milers for the rest of his career is anathema to me.
Horses are here to
race
. To stunt their careers when they are perfectly healthy based on some theory about what may or may not happen in the future is nuts. Denman was a large-framed horse with breathing problems. Remember his grindingly-tough wins off top weight in the Hennessey, not to mention Gold Cups etc?
Maybe he should just have stayed in his stable.
Mike