Bachelors Hall
Conditional
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2012
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- 763
When considering this weekend's races at Ascot along with the Hatton's Grace and Punchestown Chase on the horizon, I asked myself the question in the title. I think top class races at the intermediate distance can make for fascinating contests as they can bring together the best speedsters and the best stayers in the sport. And therein lies my musing since the evidence suggests that two and a half miles is a catch-distance rather than a speciality.
At the highest level, racehorses tend to be rather versatile insofar as distance is concerned. The legends (Dawn Run, Desert Orchid, Kauto Star etc) were capable of winning both Champion Chases and Gold Cups but a matter of half a mile will make little difference to most championship standard horses. A Champion Chaser ought to have the class for the extra four furlong while a three miler will still have the pace to be competitive at twenty furlongs. Were there any such thing as a champion twenty furlong horse, it would almost always be beaten at that distance by a two or three miler stepping up or down in trip.
The following are the horses who put RPRs of 173 or greater at intermediate distances since 2007/08;- Balko Des Flos, Captain Chris, Cyrname, Cue Card, Djakadam, Don Cossack, Exotic Dancer, Fox Norton, Frodon, Kauto Star, Master Minded, Min, Politologue, Sizing John, Sprinter Sacre, Uxizandre, Vautour and Voy Por Ustedes. With the exception of Cyrname who dictated the pace to win the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase, and Frodon who won the Cotswold Chase, all of these horses have finished in the first two in either a two or three mile Grade 1 - many have done so at both.
Taken more broadly, I have looked at the winners of the six more prominent intermediate races from the past forty years where there are corresponding races over chases and hurdles- 1965 Chase, Ascot Hurdle, Hatton's Grace, Punchestown Chase, Aintree Hurdle, Melling Chase. The following have three or more wins;- Al Eile, Apple's Jade, Danoli, Dawn Run, Istabraq, Limestone Lad, Master Minded, Morley Street, Native Upmanship, Oscar Whisky and Solerina. These horses seemingly fall into two categories - they are championship standard at two miles, three miles or both, or they are just shy of top class. Al Eile appears to be an exception as he bested both Inglis Drever and Macs Joy in the 2005 Aintree Hurdle. Nevertheless, he was still fast enough to win a Haydock Champion Hurdle Trial and a December Festival Hurdle and bizarrely, the only time he was ever tried beyond twenty furlongs was on the flat so it is entirely plausable that he could have been even better over three miles. This pattern is maintained when expanding the sample to include horses placed on more than three occasions in the aforementioned races such as Albertas Run, Bobsline, Brave Inca, Deep Sensation, Dorans Pride, Gaye Brief, Hardy Eustace, Merry Gale, Rock On Ruby, Royal Bond, Sabin Du Loir, Strong Promise and Supasundae.
This is not to suggest there are not horses who are better at twenty furlongs than at two or three miles. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that a requisite amount of class is required to compete at the championship level and it is a class which translates into a demonstration of speed, stamina or both. You can get specialists like Young Snugfit or Sanctuaire who were all about the speed or real stayers like Native River or Bonanza Boy. However, I do not believe that at the championship level, you get specialist two and a half milers. Those considered to be an intermediate specialist will typically be slow horses which do not stay which isn't conducive to producing the highest levels of form. Indeed, the solitary exception I can think of is Blazing Walker and that's on account of a Melling Chase performance which exceeded all of his other efforts by nine pounds.
So to surmise, my answer to my question is no. I thoroughly enjoy intermediate distance races as they serve a fascinating and often informative purpose (with the profound exceptions of the festival's Ryanair Chase and the Mare's Hurdle). Nevertheless, I would be happy to hear differing opinions or elaborations on my own.
At the highest level, racehorses tend to be rather versatile insofar as distance is concerned. The legends (Dawn Run, Desert Orchid, Kauto Star etc) were capable of winning both Champion Chases and Gold Cups but a matter of half a mile will make little difference to most championship standard horses. A Champion Chaser ought to have the class for the extra four furlong while a three miler will still have the pace to be competitive at twenty furlongs. Were there any such thing as a champion twenty furlong horse, it would almost always be beaten at that distance by a two or three miler stepping up or down in trip.
The following are the horses who put RPRs of 173 or greater at intermediate distances since 2007/08;- Balko Des Flos, Captain Chris, Cyrname, Cue Card, Djakadam, Don Cossack, Exotic Dancer, Fox Norton, Frodon, Kauto Star, Master Minded, Min, Politologue, Sizing John, Sprinter Sacre, Uxizandre, Vautour and Voy Por Ustedes. With the exception of Cyrname who dictated the pace to win the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase, and Frodon who won the Cotswold Chase, all of these horses have finished in the first two in either a two or three mile Grade 1 - many have done so at both.
Taken more broadly, I have looked at the winners of the six more prominent intermediate races from the past forty years where there are corresponding races over chases and hurdles- 1965 Chase, Ascot Hurdle, Hatton's Grace, Punchestown Chase, Aintree Hurdle, Melling Chase. The following have three or more wins;- Al Eile, Apple's Jade, Danoli, Dawn Run, Istabraq, Limestone Lad, Master Minded, Morley Street, Native Upmanship, Oscar Whisky and Solerina. These horses seemingly fall into two categories - they are championship standard at two miles, three miles or both, or they are just shy of top class. Al Eile appears to be an exception as he bested both Inglis Drever and Macs Joy in the 2005 Aintree Hurdle. Nevertheless, he was still fast enough to win a Haydock Champion Hurdle Trial and a December Festival Hurdle and bizarrely, the only time he was ever tried beyond twenty furlongs was on the flat so it is entirely plausable that he could have been even better over three miles. This pattern is maintained when expanding the sample to include horses placed on more than three occasions in the aforementioned races such as Albertas Run, Bobsline, Brave Inca, Deep Sensation, Dorans Pride, Gaye Brief, Hardy Eustace, Merry Gale, Rock On Ruby, Royal Bond, Sabin Du Loir, Strong Promise and Supasundae.
This is not to suggest there are not horses who are better at twenty furlongs than at two or three miles. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that a requisite amount of class is required to compete at the championship level and it is a class which translates into a demonstration of speed, stamina or both. You can get specialists like Young Snugfit or Sanctuaire who were all about the speed or real stayers like Native River or Bonanza Boy. However, I do not believe that at the championship level, you get specialist two and a half milers. Those considered to be an intermediate specialist will typically be slow horses which do not stay which isn't conducive to producing the highest levels of form. Indeed, the solitary exception I can think of is Blazing Walker and that's on account of a Melling Chase performance which exceeded all of his other efforts by nine pounds.
So to surmise, my answer to my question is no. I thoroughly enjoy intermediate distance races as they serve a fascinating and often informative purpose (with the profound exceptions of the festival's Ryanair Chase and the Mare's Hurdle). Nevertheless, I would be happy to hear differing opinions or elaborations on my own.
