This morning’s piece, arising from the terribly sad death of Big Fella Thanks, has brought forth some strong reactions on social media. Most racing fans, it seems to me, are set against the suggestion of an upper age limit for horses in jump races and of course there are examples they can cite of successful teenagers, like Hello Bud winning the Becher Chase a month before he turned 15, or Oscar Time winning the same race when he was only a year younger.
Going somewhat further back, Sonny Somers won a couple of minor races over fences in 1980 at the age of 18. Mac Vidi was placed in the same year’s Gold Cup at the age of 15.
If that’s the up side of allowing such horses to compete, the down side would be the loss of horses like Big Fella Thanks and Doran’s Pride, whose death at the age of 14 particularly shocked me. He fell and broke a leg in the Foxhunter at the 2003 Cheltenham Festival. If we had had a rule that horses can’t compete in jump races after reaching the age of 14, both those wonderful, high-achieving animals may have lived twice as long.
There is still an open question as to whether older horses cope so well as younger rivals with the stresses and strains of jump racing. Some think this can be answered by pointing to faller rates. Someone on my Twitter timeline reports from his systems-builder that older horses fall less often. But a proper, detailed study would also have to find out if there was a greater incidence, in older horses, of injuries that take a toll some time after the race, as was the case with Big Fella Thanks.
But I don’t think the case for an upper age limit rests solely on the question of whether the game is riskier for teenage animals. My feeling, which I know from conversations over the years is shared by many others, is that racehorses reach a point where they have done their bit and have earned a comfortable retirement or at least the chance to be retrained for something less risky.
A popular response is that trainers and owners love their horses, know them very well and can be trusted to make the right decision about when a horse should stop. It’s a very trusting attitude to take, though I dare say that trust is justified in the great majority of cases.
But let’s not forget that any trainer has a financial interest in keeping horses in training and those decisions become really complex if you’re at the sharp end of the game, as so many are. That horse who’s about to turn 14 may be 7% of your string. He might be your highest rated animal, the only one in your yard who can get into TV races on a Saturday. Circumstances like that can sway anyone’s judgement.
Or, to take another hypothetical, you may be a trainer who has doubts about whether a horse should continue but the owner, an important owner for you, simply doesn’t want to hear of retirement. You can’t really persist with that argument, can you? But if there’s a rule that says 14-year-olds must be retired, there is no argument, the horse must do something else and the owner hopefully feels inclined to reinvest in something younger.
At all events, I think there’s a discussion to be had and, as ever, I’d be interested in your views through the comments section below.
Today’s best bet
The day’s nap is Sans Souci Bay (2.30) at Leicester, where he runs in a claimer for Scott Dixon, having won a seller over the course and distance a fortnight ago when with Richard Hannon. This three-year-old has not proved good enough to cope with respectable handicaps but he’s been mustard when dropped into this sort of company, with a record of 2111 in claimers and that seller.
He’s not thrown in on these terms and there’s a couple of others to worry about but the 5-2 looks fine to me, with no doubts about his current wellbeing or ability to cope with conditions.
Earlier, I’m interested in the 9-1 about Storm Jazz (12.45) in the nursery. Her only run in the past two months was on the all-weather, which may not have suited, and she comes from the Ed Dunlop yard, whose juveniles have taken time to get going this season but are now faring respectably. There is some talent in the family, including her half-sister Singeur, who won off marks in the 90s.
The interesting one on Ayr’s jumps card is Robintheaulad (2.40), trained by Sandy Thomson, who is two from four in the past fortnight. A former pointer, this one was travelling nicely in third when falling four-out on his chasing debut at Kelso three weeks ago. I think his mark underestimates him over fences and he should be a bit fitter this time.
Tips for all Monday races
Redcar
12.00 Spanish Mane 12.30 Swiss Chocolate 1.05 Sea Youmzain 1.40 Miningrocks 2.15 Nordic Combined 2.50 Straight Away 3.25 Rapid Ranger NR 4.00 Awesome Allan
Leicester
12.15 Red Cymbal 12.45 Storm Jazz 1.20 Master The World 1.55 Mazyoun 2.30 Sans Souci Bay (nap) 3.05 Haylah 3.40 Maybride 4.10 True Companion
Ayr
1.30 Global Stage 2.05 Saint Freule 2.40 Robintheaulad (nb) 3.15 Wood Pigeon 3.50 Minella Suite 4.20 Dunkereen
(all times GMT)
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