Cliff Williams The opening Classics of the 2007 racing year, with the contrasting results, has basically confirmed that there will be no clear-cut champion going into the remaining futurities and the perception is that the races, more likely than not, will be open and competitive.
Both the 1000 Guineas for fillies and the 2000 for colts and geldings each attracted the maximum 16 starters per race, which is a clear indication that many owners and trainers are not entirely convinced that the most successful of the 2006 juveniles are all that superior.
There was a totally surprising but credible result in the 1000 Guineas, surprising in the sense that the winner Lady T at odds of 71/1 had not been raced to suggest that she would have been fully effective over the distance of 1600 metres.
However, the fact of the matter is that this filly was better bred for the distance than anything else in the field and that is what made the result credible.
Experienced spence
Lady T's trainer Dwight Chen takes a lot of credit and it is congratulations for posting his first Classic winner. No praise can be too great for veteran rider Ian Spence, who demonstrated in no uncertain terms that in this profession of race-riding there is no substitute for experience.
Spence was supremely confident going down the backstretch and rode a patient race to deliver the victory.
Based on this performance of an extending near two-length victory, I would suggest that this filly may very well be more effective over longer distances later in the year.
The same, however, cannot be said for any of the others and it is abundantly clear that the overwhelming majority of the fillies foaled in 2005 has had very little stamina bred into them.
In the races to come over a distance of ground many of the colts and geldings hold out the prospect of demonstrating staying ability, none more so than 2000 Guineas hero Rum Talk who came from well back to score going away. There can be no question now that he will be the one to beat in the races over a distance of ground.
Threats
Still, one cannot discount or rule out the possibility that a member of the trio of Mucho Gusto, Run Aldeeno and Chiponyourshoulder, beaten about three lengths collectively in that order, will not improve sufficiently to deny him Triple Crown glory.
For the 1600-metre contests the winning filly returned a time of 1:42.1 and the colt 1:40.3. Using this reliable pointer there can be very little doubt that the fairer sex is once again significantly inferior. Both races were contested under identical conditions in terms of wind strength and direction as well as underfoot conditions.
The 200-year two-kilo sex allowance has clearly outlived its usefulness and it is a rarity across the globe when there is a filly capable of competing successfully with the opposite sex at that weight in the futurities.
Elsewhere in the world things have gotten to the stage where both sexes do not meet at three years old. The allowance should be increased by at least a further kilo which could go a long way in enabling the fillies to have a realistic chance of winning the major prizes. This would also have the effect of making the Graded and Classic races more profitable for promoters.
Personally, I find it incredible that the modern regulators and promoters worldwide in too many instances and more so locally do not treat the industry as a business influenced by the dynamics of the marketplace and is deserving of a proactive approach.
It really makes no sense in the current economic environment for those with the requisite responsibility for the marketing of the sport to just sit and slavishly follow the edicts of the long gone eras.
