Breeders On The Warpath

Cape Breeders are making emotional pleas for the exclusion of earnings of high-stake non-black type races from the National Statistics. In an email to members, the Cape Breeders Club writes: “We find ourselves in a situation where the earnings of restricted races and races associated to particular sales are influencing our national statistics. We cannot allow this to continue and appeal for your support to protect the integrity of our stud book.”

The Club’s email continues: “Please would you write an email to Mr Colin Hall of the NHRA stating that you disagree with the inclusion of restricted race and sales associated race earnings in the national statistics. We need to join our Chairperson of the TBA – Mrs Susan Rowett – in her fight for accuracy in the national statistics and to maintain the integrity of our stud book.”

The call for action appears to be the result of recent high-stakes races staged in KZN, exclusively for horses bred or sold in KZN. They include two million-Rand races, contested in June/July. The thinking appears to be that earning statistics (on which several annual National Championships are decided) are influenced unfairly, because the nation’s best horses could be excluded to compete in such races, and ‘unworthy’ winners could result.

South Africa’s racing programme is full of unfair earning opportunities. More than 30% of all races contested are handicaps, a concept specifically designed to prevent the best horses from dominating. So are conditions races, which include maiden races which make up half of all races staged and provide a formidable chunk of money in the earnings table.

The country’s richest races in the current season are the Gr1 July (R3.5m), Gr1 Met (2.5m), Ready to Run Cup (2.5m), Gr1 Champions Challenge (2m) and Gr1 SA Classic (2m).  The playing field is anything but level. The July is a handicap, the Met and Champions Challenge are conditions races, the Ready to Run Cup and SA Classic are restricted races (the former to 3yo Emperor’s Palace Sale graduates, the latter to all 3yo’s), both run at level weights with sex allowance. Added to this, all of the major races are restricted in the sense that the field-size is artificially limited, and often necessitate arbitrary eliminations. The furore surrounding the 2013 Vodacom July is still fresh in the mind. Legitimate earning opportunities can be denied at the stroke of a pen.

It is interesting to note that the conditions of the Champions Cup to be run at the end of July include the following:
“A winner of a race carrying a gross stake of R500 000 or more and that is not a Graded race will receive a 2kg penalty for the first such win and a 1kg penalty for each such win thereafter. A winner of a race carrying a gross stake between R150 000 and R499 999 and that is not a Graded race to receive a 1kg penalty for each such win.”
These penalties are equivalent to winning a proper Gr2 and Gr3 race. It also means that winning a ‘restricted’ race has a significant impact on the ability to earn ‘legitimately’ in a highly endowed conditions race. The connections of last month’ KZN 1600 Million winner Gitiano will attest to this: the win got him a 2kg penalty for the Champions Cup.

The logical extension of the Cape Breeders appeal would be to exclude the ‘restricted earnings’ from all statistics, including those for owners, trainers and jockeys. All these are interested parties who show their money and expertise with ‘offending’ horses, and would be denied to take credit for that.

The email from the Cape Breeders elicited several responses from its members.

One argument was made that if restricted earnings are included, then so should overseas earnings. Which in 2012 would have meant that not Summerhill but Maine Chance would have been the champion breeders, courtesy of Singapore earnings of Ato and Flax. And in 2013, should the 300k euro earnings of Silvano’s German Derby winner (conceived on a shuttle trip in Germany) be added to his tally? Will Oratorio, now at stud in South Africa, be the champion sire in 2014, thanks to no doubt sizeable international earnings to come? Inclusion of world-wide N-hemisphere earnings is a matter of fact in the USA, where Giant’s Causeway ousted Empire Maker by a nose in 2012. Giant’s Causeway had precisely one (!) G1 winner in the USA, which came on 26 December, five days before the end of the season. Empire Maker (who stands in Japan) had three US G1 winners. Earnings from Japan, with its astronomical stake monies, have a massive effect on the US table of leading sires.

If overseas horses count, then what about South African trainers and jockeys abroad? The mind boggles.

Precisely what the breeders mean by the effect of restricted earnings on ‘the integrity of the Studbook’ is puzzling.
The Studbook is a record of breeding activities, were earnings play no part. Perhaps what is meant is the inclusion of restricted earnings in sale catalogues, although restricted races do not earn black type, which is the definitive measure in sale catalogues. And if integrity in this area is paramount, the breeders might well consider how, in South Africa, black type is earned. It is strange that bold black type, shown in the sales catalogues in fat, eye-catching capital letters, can be earned by horses with marginal merit ratings. The list of 2013 bold black type earners (see Appendix) is a revelation in this respect. Excellence isn’t always required, it shows.

Perhaps measuring excellence through earnings is not the right answer, and a better method should be followed. Most respectable racing countries around the world (the USA a notable exception) have merit ratings (or equivalents). These negate the effect of imposed racing conditions and give measure as a true expression of excellence.

The breeders’ appeal to the NHA certainly gives food for thought.

Cape Breeders have in the past supported all of the sales with high-stake race incentives, and contributed to the stake-pot. To paraphrase Basil Fawlty in the ‘Germans’ episode of Faulty Towers: “You started it!”

Appendix

Winners of bold black type races in the 2012-2013 season
with Merit Ratings at the time of competing.

Horse                age  MR  grade  race