Royal Ascot Retrospective
One week ago the Royal Ascot meet kicked off with an American taking down the opening race. Tepin extended her winning streak to seven in winning the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes. It marked the second consecutive year that an American trained horse won a Group 1 at the Royal meeting. Last year it was Undrafted for trainer Wesley Ward that walked away with a win at the highest level in Europe, having won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
It was Wesley Ward that opened the door to bringing American trained horses to Royal Ascot several years ago when no one thought they belonged. Over the past several years Ward has found himself in the winner's enclosure at Royal Ascot numerous times including once this year. His two year old filly sensation Lady Aurelia destroyed the field in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes on day two of the meet.
Having followed the Royal Ascot meet for several years now and watching American trained horses compete has led me to come to several conclusions that I think could be applied to both racing here in America and in deciding whether or not to send American horses abroad as well as why American horse players should consider wagering on the races.
American Horses Can Be Competitive on the Turf Internationally
Prior to the switch from dirt to a synthetic surface at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai American trained horses dominated the main track stakes races. Cigar won the inaugural Dubai World Cup, and would be followed by eight more American trained winners over the next 13 years. Animal Kingdom was the only American trained horse to win on the synthetic surface, and after the return to dirt, it was no surprise that California Chrome won this past year.
Americans have also won the Dubai Golden Shaheen several times on the main track, as well as the Goldophin Mile. No American horse has won on the turf in Dubai and perhaps that was the reason more American horses have not been considered in international turf races. After the past several years it is obvious that the right horse can not only be competitive, but can win at the highest level on the turf. Thanks to Wesley Ward taking a chance at Royal Ascot, we now know that the best American turf horses belong.
This year, Ward was joined by other American trainers which hopefully is a sign of increased participation in the future. Surely Mark Casse, trainer of Tepin, will keep Ascot on the radar in future years as he always seems to have a barn full of turf runners.
Another potential benefit of the positive results at Royal Ascot is a boost to the turf breeding bloodlines in America. The last half century of breeding has focused on dirt pedigrees and more speed over stamina. With millions of dollars in purse money for international turf races, I wouldn't be surprised if more American breeders start producing more turf bred foals.
Raceday Medications are Not Necessary for the Best Horses
The initial concern when horses were sent to Dubai in the nineties, was they wouldn't be able to perform their best without race-day medications, specifically Lasix. It has now been twenty years since the inaugural Dubai World Cup and dozens of American horses have won there, and at other international tracks, without Lasix, or any other raceday medications.
Perhaps some horses cannot compete without these medications, but clearly the top class horses can. Under the current system there is no incentive for owners and trainers here to run their horses without Lasix because it is viewed as a disadvantage to do so. I'm not sure if it will ever change, but one way to start the shift away from race-day medications would be to give bonuses to horses earning purse money that run on only hay, oats and water.
Wagering Pools are Not Efficient in International Races
In many cases the American trained horses are overbet in international races, as are the international "household name" horses and jockeys that competed in the Breeders' Cup. This creates overlays on many of the other legitimate contenders. You can bet (no pun intended) that almost every horse Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore ride will be underlays because they are well known internationally, and are also extremely talented.
In addition to these factors causing inefficient wagering pools the large fields also result in many horses being overlooked. Several races this year at Royal Ascot had more than twenty betting interests. In America, the only race that ever has that many runners is the Kentucky Derby and we all know that there is inefficient betting in that race.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully the positive results this year in Dubai and at Royal Ascot will lead to more participation from American trained horses internationally. Not every horse is cutout for a trip overseas to run against the best the world has to offer, but the right horse in the right spot has just as much chance as any other horse in the field.
Additionally, I hope that there is a movement away from race-day medications because of these results. It will make for a more level playing field both home and abroad and will likely strengthen the bloodlines here in America.
Lastly, whenever there is a major race-day, or meeting internationally, I recommend taking the time to at least look at the card. The past performances are free from most ADW's, so there is no cost other than a few minutes of your time. If you do decide to wager also take a look at some of the international racing websites such as The Racing Post, The Sporting Life and Timeform because they will provide some extra information that may be beneficial to you such as which horses should be upgraded and downgraded based on the condition of the ground.