Irish Sprinters

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Why so poor year in year out? Granted there is the odd Mozart, Stravinsky and Namid but just in general our Group 2/3 and listed sprinters are just not in the league to those trained in Britain. Just odd given that the same dominance does not exist at any other trip.
 
The prevalence of softer ground doesn't suit sprinters - it suits horses bred for stamina.
I can't think of any other reason, other than breeder/owner/trainer preferences
 
Maybe you have them but they aren't being identified and campaigned as such. Its possible a number of potential top sprinters have slipped under the radar by being used in other ways.
 
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LUKE said:
Something that could and should be changed in my opinion.
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I don't see any changes on the horizon.

The racing industry and "the powers that be" have no interest in the sprinting division currently .. so nothing will happen IMO.
 
No money in this market, you have to leave a segment for smaller trainers to target and arguably its a market that has longevity so they can rake in as much as possible if they come across sterdy sprinter.
 
There's no top level fast sprint track in Ireland since they closed the Phoenix Park and lost the straight five and six at Leopardstwon to the M50. The lost of the Park was especially serious for sprinters.

The Curragh does not favour pure speed and anyway the draw bias there is much too pronounced for a Grade 1 track.
 
I don't think there is an argument for Ireland to recieve further graded contests. Year in year out, the Tattersalls Gold Cup, Phoenix Stakes, Irish St leger and Pretty Polly rarely have the strength in depth to justify their current status.

I would rather high end group contests removed if anything to a country where less races are run in heavy going, which does not help determine the best quality horses, which is part of the objective of the pattern.
 
The standards required for a Group 1 race to keep its status are clearly defined. If any of those races fell below that standard, work would have to be done by the governing body and racecourse to prevent them from being downgraded. The standards may not be high enough, but that's a different argument that would affect all racing countries.

Similarly, you would need a sprint race to prove it's quality over time in order to have it upgraded. I don't think Ireland even has a Group 2 sprint!
 
Nope, Group 3. The next Group race sprint is the Ballyogan at Leopardstown (June 4), also a Group 3 (fillies & mares).
 
I think the Pheonix Sprint was upgraded to Group 2 in one of the last runnings at Pheonix Park. I'm not sure when it lost it again, or if, indeed, I'm just imagining the whole thing.
 
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