Wayward Lad's last race - his glorious swansong at Liverpool in 1987

Aw, just brilliant!

Made me wonder about something that's been discussed on here on the various Arkle arguments:

Did anyone think those horses were not as well trained as as those running nowadays? Or ridden less forcefully? Or of less ability?

That race was over 26 years ago and about 22 years after Arkle so was it in those two decades after Arkle that the training or riding methods supposedly improved or that the quality of horse improved?
 
Every single sport has improved in the same time period - advances in sports science, technology and drugs are major reasons why. I don't see how anyone could rationally argue that racing hasn't?
 
The point I made some time back is that horses have been around for millions of years longer than humans and have been running as fast as they can for that time. Humans have only been running competitively for a two or three thousand years so they have a lot more scope for improvement.

No doubt there is a more scientific approach to training, monitoring, conditioning etc and I can accept that it will have some impact. There are also more horses in training so competition is greater but not necessarily at the very top.

I'd reckon the improvement impact of modern methods would be around 1% of what it would have been 50 years ago at the very top level.

Galway Blaze, for example, went up to the equivalent of 175 after winning the Hennessy off something like the same mark as Bobs Worth but couldn't get near a Gold Cup.
 
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if horses keep improving as people suggest..then when they first started running eons ago..they must have only been travelling at about 5 mile per hour.

i don't buy it

to those who say they improve..explain how much?..then plot that progression backwards and see how fast they would have been running ..at..100 years ago..then 200 etc

i've seen John Wayne films from the 40's ... hosses are doing nearly 60..even with that fat f00ker ridin em:)
 
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Desert Orchid said:
The point I made some time back is that horses have been around for millions of years longer than humans and have been running as fast as they can for that time. Humans have only been running competitively for a two or three thousand years so they have a lot more scope for improvement.
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But thoroughbreds have only been around for 300 years or so. As an invented breed, specifically selected for a certain mix of speed and stamina, there's plenty of room for fine-tuning through both nature and nurture.
 
Yes, but they were invented from the fastest horses.

Once Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce get it together and produce an offspring we might get something faster still.
 
Desert Orchid said:
Yes, but they were invented from the fastest horses.

Once Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce get it together and produce an offspring we might get something faster still.
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then some people will dismiss his achievements for the same reasons..better diet now..training etc

basically..if you are that way minded..you can just dismiss past achievement as irrelevant..as it wasn't under todays regime
 
I loved him even when I was due to win a grand or two with him galloping up the Cheltenham Gold Cup finish only to be caught by Jonjo on the old mare
 
Old mare Roddy ?
She was YEARS younger than WL.
I must have been the only Irishman cheering him home that day against her !
An absolutely super horse. Though he ran some ordinary races he always came good again.
Brad had a retainer with Terry Ramsden (remember him?) so got off WL on the day giving Graham McCourt the ride.
 
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edgt said:
Old mare Roddy ?
She was YEARS younger than WL.
I must have been the only Irishman cheering him home that day against her !
An absolutely super horse. Though he ran some ordinary races he always came good again.
Brad had a retainer with Terry Ramsden (remember him?) so got off WL on the day giving Graham McCourt the ride.
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And Wayward Lad promptly ran much his best race of the year !
 
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