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- DamienWyer March 2017
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Caulfield Cup WFA
East Coast RacingCaulfield Cup in radical WFA reboot to increase global interest
AFTER
over a century as one of Australia’s great handicap races, the
Caulfield Cup is poised for radical overhaul in a bid to attract the
world’s best stayers.
The Melbourne Racing Club’s desire to
turn the handicap into a weight-for-age race — more like the Cox Plate
than the Melbourne Cup — could transform the great race as early as this
year, the 138th running of the race.
“We’d
have to get our skates on but it could be as early as this year but
more likely 2018 — pending approval,’’ said MRC chairman Mike Symons.
A
capacity field of 18, where lightweights and topweights, champions and
dreamers, have been brought together under handicap conditions,
attracting great public interest via Cup sweeps, is likely to be reduced
to a smaller field of elite runners.
The Cup’s $3 million purse
would likely be increased to $4 million, surging ahead of the Cox Plate
($3 million) and making it the state’s second richest race behind the
Melbourne Cup ($6.2 million).
The Cox Plate is run a week later at
Moonee Valley and would not be disadvantaged by any changes to the
Caulfield Cup, Symons said.
Moonee Valley Racing Club chief
executive Michael Browell supported the MRC’s proposal, saying “Cox
Plate horses wouldn’t usually be the sort of horses who’d run a week
earlier over 2400m at Caulfield, even at weight-for-age.’’
The MRC
believes the most dramatic change in the Cup’s history will attract
runners from all parts of the globe, particularly Japan and Europe.
Under
the proposal Caulfield Cup winners would be exempt from a re-handicap
for the Melbourne Cup; a factor that has scared away high class
competitors from overseas.
The
race could attract fields of as few as 12 or 14, compared to the
traditional capacity of 18, which has generated the race’s much
celebrated “mad charge to the first turn.’’
Such change would
require a tick off from Racing Victoria and both the local and Asian
pattern committees, which determine race status and programming.
The
MRC has not formally applied for the change but has the support of RV
and the Victoria Racing Club and would almost certainly be approved by
the pattern committees according to RV general manager Greg Carpenter.
Symons said the club respected “the great history and tradition’’ of the Cup but urged reform.
“If
we are going to increase international competition, we need to
evolve,’’ Symons said, adding Australia only had one 2400m race run at
weight-for-age, the BMW at Rosehill in March.
“And it’s failed to attract those (international) horses because it’s run at the wrong time of year,’’ Symons said.
Jockey Nicholas Hall celebrates winning last year’s Caulfield Cup on Jameka. Picture: Mark Stewart“The
distance (2400m) is internationally recognised as the elite distance
for good horses but almost every other jurisdiction conducts those races
at weight-for-age.’’
Symons said the club had in recent years
failed to lure Japanese stayers, regarded as the world’s best, because
the handicap conditions and prospect of a Melbourne Cup re-handicap had
scared them off.
He said European stars Highland Reel and Order Of
St George did not run last year because of the handicap conditions and
ramifications for the Melbourne Cup.
In the Caulfield Cup
topweights must carry a minimum of 57kg and bottom-weights no less than
50kg. At WFA, horses five-years and over carry 59kg, four-year-olds
57.5kg and thee-year-olds 49.5kg. Females carry two kilograms less in
each category.
Victoria Racing Club chief executive Simon Love described the proposal as “interesting — we’ve got no problem with it.”.
Comments
thefalcon likes this post.
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thefalcon likes this post.
Thunderstruck, SKIDS, oldhendo, Gilgamesh likes this post.
The hater in me is saying do it as a replacement to the Cox Plate, scrap the Cox Plate and fill Moonee Valley full of concrete. It's better as a car park.
I agree mate stuff the internationals..not a fan of the change myself why does it make sense @ Tivers?
Or move it, just a light hearted joke. Just really dislike MV, I think it's a terrible track X_X
But the Caulfiekd Cup is the race that is to become wfa, i have mixed views on the idea.
Thunderstruck likes this post.
jum, thefalcon likes this post.
=)) =)) You are a very humorous person Damo. loving the sarcasm here :-j
The Arc is 10 days before the CC and British Champions Day and the Breeders' Cup shortly afterwards,
JohnA, Ridersonthestorm33, thefalcon likes this post.