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Caulfield Cup WFA

East Coast Racing
FastmoneyFastmoney    4,912 posts
edited March 2017 East Coast Racing

Caulfield 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.

image

“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.

imageInternational star Dunaden wins the 2012 Caulfield Cup. Picture: Salpigtidis George

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.

imageJockey 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

  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    You know it makes sense
  • FastmoneyFastmoney    4,912 posts
    edited March 2017
    CC $4mil WFA 2400m week before $3mil WFA 2000m but apparently won't have any negative effect on Cox Plate?.

    thefalcon likes this post.

  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    Except that bit

    thefalcon likes this post.

  • FastmoneyFastmoney    4,912 posts
    edited March 2017
    Tivers said:

    You know it makes sense

    Unfortunately that is the mindset of individual clubs and individual states, very few big picture decisions from the clowns who run the show.

    thefalcon likes this post.

  • ThumperThumper    820 posts
    Maybe swap the dates as well. Might get some trying to do the cox cc cup double and still suits those wanting to run in both cups
  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    Do we always have to appease the international horses ? They've done pretty well without us having to bend over backwards to there every whim. Leave a great 2400 metre handicap race with a full field of eighteen runners alone.

    Thunderstruck, SKIDS, oldhendo, Gilgamesh likes this post.

  • JellJell    1,201 posts
    edited March 2017
    The traditionalist in me is saying don't touch the race, it's part of our great history and one of the great races also a good lead up to the Melbourne Cup.

    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.
  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    Scrap the best race in the country ??????
  • ThunderstruckThunderstruck    7,676 posts

    Do we always have to appease the international horses ? They've done pretty well without us having to bend over backwards to there every whim. Leave a great 2400 metre handicap race with a full field of eighteen runners alone.




    I agree mate stuff the internationals..not a fan of the change myself why does it make sense @ Tivers?
  • JellJell    1,201 posts
    Tivers said:

    Scrap the best race in the country ??????


    Or move it, just a light hearted joke. Just really dislike MV, I think it's a terrible track X_X
  • PCPC    2,190 posts
    Ive always said a 2800m wfa race could be run in the autumn to cater for those good stayers especially those horses of previous winners of the Cups who are weighted out of the Cups the followibg year and this 2800m race could be run at Flemington.

    But the Caulfiekd Cup is the race that is to become wfa, i have mixed views on the idea.
  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts
    They should shorten the race. Follow the lead of Perth Racing as results have proven that shortening the Perth Cup from a staying race into a mid range handicap, has greatly improved the quality of the race and fields of International and Interstate runners it attracts each year.


  • H-BOMBERH-BOMBER    10,235 posts
    Might as well make the Melbourne Cup WFA as well


    :-q

    Thunderstruck likes this post.

  • H-BOMBERH-BOMBER    10,235 posts
    Make it the "WFA Melbourne Championship series"

    Cox Plate WFA 2000m then 2 weeks later WFA 2400m at Caulfield culminating 10 days later in a 3200m WFA Melbourne Cup

    Yes, I am joking.

  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited March 2017
    We change the conditions of a wonderful traditional race to appease the internationals , can anybody imagine the Europeans changing say a major sprint race or staying race to get more Australian horses over ? Or the Japanese saying ok we will change the Japan Cup to attract more Australian horses ? As Damian mentioned above distinctly reading at the time from a head honcho here...' Reducing the Perth Cup distance to 2400 metres will attract more eastern states horses to run. ' Amount of eastern states horses that have run in the Cup since distance reduction ? Approximately 2. Also the Europeans and Japanese have done very well out of the Caulfield Cup let's not just give it up on a plate. Excuse the pun maybe now called the Caulfield Plate.

    jum, thefalcon likes this post.

  • jumjum    3,512 posts

    They should shorten the race. Follow the lead of Perth Racing as results have proven that shortening the Perth Cup from a staying race into a mid range handicap, has greatly improved the quality of the race and fields of International and Interstate runners it attracts each year.



    =))  =)) You are a very humorous person Damo. loving the sarcasm here   :-j
  • tonytony    2,361 posts
    edited March 2017
    Apart from hating the idea of changing an iconic Australian race, they will not get any A graders from Europe.

    The Arc is 10 days before the CC and British Champions  Day and the Breeders' Cup shortly afterwards,

    JohnA, Ridersonthestorm33, thefalcon likes this post.

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