Perth Cup DistanceWest Australian Racing

Darrah

There is talk that Perth Racing is going to announce a change of the Perth Cup distance from 3200 metres to 2400 metres. Thoughts ?

MightAndPower

hmmm...not sure mate.am i right in my thinking that the brisbane cup has been shortened too in recent times?

suppose its not all bad,could make it a more competitive race as half of them nowadays get a stitch 800 out :lol:

Tivers

I think a reduction in distance could be called for, but it'd be a shame if it was down to 2,400m - makes it very ordinary (eg Brissy Cup).
Why don't they hold back a stakes increase for the race for a year and build a new shute to enable a 2,800m race for example ? (Shorter than 2 mile, but still stands out / has distinction).

manfromnantucket

would be a crying shame, even with the 2800m lead up at pinjarra it isnt an astronomical field. instead of a distance decrease why not get more funding for it to attract a better interstate crew so the race can be put back on a pedestall. even move the race so it's in line with the melb cup better so can get horses bouncing out of cup instead of two months after

Tivers

Or even more so..........the horses that just miss getting a run in the Melbourne Cup. gives them an alternate / consolation goal.

manfromnantucket

eggszackery, dont worry about the date they've moved other races to suit themselves, just move the summer carnival opening - open day perth cup november whatever just after melb cup.

Tivers

Or evem get Melbourne to move theirs back ! :lol:
There's are all wrong (Cup and Derby), just stuff everyone else up.......

manfromnantucket

sure greg carpentar will sweet talk them around 150yrs` tradition

tony

Cannot see too many negatives with going back in distance.
I would suggest that last year's Brisbane Cup field was the best standard it has been for some years in spite of the "traditionalists" decrying the change.
I would have thought that a $400k 2400m race would have a chance of more entries from the east

manfromnantucket

but then its just a derby for older horses, maybe im just a traditionalist but in saying so i think there should be heaps more races over 2400 and put some 3km races on like in melb

Rodent

Why on earth would you cull the only 3200m race in the state in favour of yet another 2400m race? There are enough races like Bunbury/Pinjarra/Kal cups at or near that distance CB Cox, Towton etc.
The Perth Cup is a one off event and now that the Melbourne Cup is an international race and hard to get in to, the Perth Cup is a viable alternative for those just below that level.

tony

And when was the last time we had a decent field in the Perth Cup?

Announcement expected from Perth Racing on Monday

lordwater

Did I read because Perth Thoroughbred Cup may be reduced in length----some folks think Melbourne should change how their Thoroughbred Cup is run.------- Would you like to dig up TULLAMARINE AIRPORT and swap it for PERTH AIRPORT, to solve passenger problems.----AAAHHHH well if you can do it without any damages. Yeah go for it. lol.

Rodent

When was the last "decent" Perth Cup field? So your solution to having weak stayers is to remove the best staying test in the state?
Australia has got it so wrong. Staying races need to be increased in both $ and numbers. Breeders and yearling buyers need to be put on notice that staying races will be worth more $ to compensate owners for having to wait longer.
This approach would see more quality stayers bred. At the rate we're going, our nation's richest race will be a benefit for international raiders (if it's not already). Our breeding industry is in desperate need of balance.

loose_goose

said:

I think a reduction in distance could be called for, but it'd be a shame if it was down to 2,400m - makes it very ordinary (eg Brissy Cup).
Why don't they hold back a stakes increase for the race for a year and build a new shute to enable a 2,800m race for example ? (Shorter than 2 mile, but still stands out / has distinction).

Now I'm not a surveyor or such but adding to the 2400m shute would put it somewhere in the Swan River at a guess :D .

Could live with a 2600m & 2800m Cup, but regardless of how good the Brissy Cup field was over 2400m, it seemed just like another race at that distance.

Unknown

there has to be some things left alone, Tradition sometimes is best left untouched. Raise the stakemoney and get people wanting to to bring good stayers over. Would be a shocking decision made by people who already out of touch if they made it a 2400m race. Simple solution give it a massive prizemoney boost

Tivers

I reckon a lot of the problem is that it is the only race we have over 2,400m. People say we don't have any stayers........well why would you, for one race ?
(usually Cup Trial 2,800m at Pinjarra yes, but wasn't held this year obviously).
It's a one off race that is half a mile longer than any other.

MightAndPower

i agree with PB...pump up the prizemoney by 50% or more i think.should be 400k to the winner....or plan B
another highly rated 24-2600 metre(does 2600 work as a start point??) race similar to chairmans handicap in sydney as an alternate lead in to perth cup which is left at 3200.There is not enough incentive for stayers in aust. as rodent has highlighted already.

goose

What are they really trying to acheive by changing the distance? a rise in status or field quality may get a slightly better field but so what the Caufield Cup winner wont be going around seems pointless.
Should be trying to get more international stayers here on the way back from Melbourne most of the crowd wont care but dont change it just for the sake of a couple of getting a couple more handy eastern staters here.

Blake

said:

Why on earth would you cull the only 3200m race in the state in favour of yet another 2400m race? There are enough races like Bunbury/Pinjarra/Kal cups at or near that distance CB Cox, Towton etc.
The Perth Cup is a one off event and now that the Melbourne Cup is an international race and hard to get in to, the Perth Cup is a viable alternative for those just below that level.

totally agree. i love 2 mile races and give the sport a chance to turn around the staying ranks it might take another 5 years or so but it could with the right agenda be turned around. and make the 2010 perth cup worth a $1.5million because if the arabs are making the melb cup $10mill as a sendoff to their sponsorship its going to be the hardest race in the world to get a run in and the perth cup could be a cracking field.

Rodent

People won't breed horses for a 1 off. There need to be incentives throughout the year. What about stakes of all races in the state 2200m or longer being worth 20% more than similar class races of lesser distance?
Saturday's staying race would be worth 60k instead of 50k. Yesterday's Northam race over 2200m would be worth $14400 instead of $12000 etc.
Given there are so few of these races (say 3 per week) it would not take that much extra money.
The result would be that you would have an injection of stayers from interstate and a larger incentive for yearling buyers to buy staying bred horses. The increased demand for stayers would then put commercial pressure on breeders to breed some horses with stamina.
For starters, the Karrakatta would be going from $500,000 to $300,000 if I were in charge........and you know what, the field would have been identical. There will never be a top class 2yo come from interstate so the money is a waste. 200k straight to the stayers.

coastalchill

Considering how hard are Ascot track is and how hot it is in January,to reduce the distance of the 'Cup' could be a very good idea for the welfare of our horses.The way people are breeding for the sale market in Perth is the same as it's always been,W.A. is not known for breeding out and out stayers,so it's going to be more suited to the raiders.Seems silly that we have one of the longest races in the world and we can't really set up our own horses for it.Oh, and if we need to upgrade it more,how about making it aGR1?

manfromnantucket

unfortunaterly chill you cant just say this race is now a g1. it is years in the making. first you got to get the adequate horses, by that i mean good/superb horses in the field continuosly and also have descent money. then you can apply to racing authorities to have the race upgraded and then it's there decision weather the quality is warranted to g1 status if they win. it's crap to have g1 status next to a horse that isnt a g1 horse. for instance the goodwood the worst g1 in australia. many horses get g1 status for winning this bring them back to melb or sydney g1 and they arent competitive they fininsh 5 lengths from the winner. and they only reason perth doesnt breed stayers is the lack of depth in staying races in perth. why breed a stayer when there so many middle distance to sprint races but in saying thus there are several staying stallions in WA blackfriars for instance

tony

Official announcement this morning confirming 2400m

LuckyLongshots

said:

Official announcement this morning confirming 2400m

source?

Bad decision in my opinion, think the PTT crew should be running this shambles called RWWA!

More money and better lead up staying events - Cox Stakes three weeks prior and a Listed/Group 3 2800m on current midweek Cox Stakes day.

tony

My source was Bens on sky. Announcement was made in Melbourne along with the mile "triple crown" for tthe Emirates, Railway and Futurity as was happening before EI intervened last spring.

MightAndPower

yes not great at all..when does it take effect from...immediately i presume?

Blake

so now there are only five 2 mile races in this country with 2 of them being disgraceful races anyway, one being suspect, one being o.k and the other being the melb cup. very ordinary effort i think. messara and the breeders keep getting their way the cox plate will be 1400m in ten years if this keeps up.

Chris

A vote has been added to this thread.

ICE

Perth race club is being Bullied by the east-was always going to happen we are just puppets on a string in the West-always have and will always tow the line 8) 2400m $1000000 :lol: :lol:

neuch

This Cup review was sort of kept quiet. Too late to disagree I guess.

What'll happen now is they're going to promote this change far and wide, and get a good quality field, and boast to all 'we were right in changing the distance'. They've made a big blunder long-term, imo.