Grand National controversy

[McGurk]

I just looked at the overnights for a sanctioned timber race in the US. Assigned weights are 170 pounds, for a 3 1/4 mile race. The horses range in age from 8 - 14. I promise you, every jockey in that race is carrying a weight pad!

In another timber race, ages of the horses are from 5 - 10, and the assigned weights are all 160.

[Willesdon]

There was an attempt to introduce timber racing to England, in the American style, a few years ago. It never caught on. I think people preferred brush to rails, because it was deemed to be safer.

[Texarkana]

Quite frankly, timber racing isn’t very popular in America, either. Our biggest jump races are all held over national fences.

[Mara]

@Texarkana

@moonlitoaksranch

I could be wrong, but I’m under the impression that TBs from Ireland and the UK have less soundness issues and more bone. Are breeders looking for different attributes than US breeders?

Not really. Thoroughbreds in the UK and Ireland are more genetically similar than different to those in North America in the 21st century.

Nearly everything about European racing is different than American racing. Do you want me to go into it? Because it’s going to be a lengthy post.

The differences in the sport and husbandry on the two continents are the chief reasons for the common perception that European thoroughbreds are unlike ours.

I would be curious to see comparisons to German racing TBs, and how they stack up soundness-wise against the US breds. Their medication regulations are, AFAIK, the strictest in Europe. Any horse with a record of medication while racing (aside from things like vaccinations and antibiotics) is ineligible for their stud book. This is why you don’t see too many marquee names leaving the US for Germany.

[Texarkana]

@Mara

@Texarkana

@moonlitoaksranch

I could be wrong, but I’m under the impression that TBs from Ireland and the UK have less soundness issues and more bone. Are breeders looking for different attributes than US breeders?

Not really. Thoroughbreds in the UK and Ireland are more genetically similar than different to those in North America in the 21st century.

Nearly everything about European racing is different than American racing. Do you want me to go into it? Because it’s going to be a lengthy post.

The differences in the sport and husbandry on the two continents are the chief reasons for the common perception that European thoroughbreds are unlike ours.

I would be curious to see comparisons to German racing TBs, and how they stack up soundness-wise against the US breds. Their medication regulations are, AFAIK, the strictest in Europe. Any horse with a record of medication while racing (aside from things like vaccinations and antibiotics) is ineligible for their stud book. This is why you don’t see too many marquee names leaving the US for Germany.

The thing about Germany is that it’s also not a direct comparison to the USA or even Great Britain and Ireland.

It’s a significantly smaller industry. Apparently there are only 38 thoroughbred racing stallions currently standing in Germany. I can’t find the current statistics, but in 2019 there were only 724 thoroughbred foals born there. More TB foals were born in Pennsylvania in 2022 than in all of Germany.

To get an idea of how the quality of racing stakes up: there are 96 and 36 Grade/Group 1 Races in the United States and Great Britain, respectively. Germany has 7 Group 1 races. And all 7 races are on the turf between 2000 and 2400m.

When you’re only running grass routes with a smaller population of slower horses, of course you will see less injuries than countries that run everything from sprints to hurdle races.

*edited, typos

[Willesdon]

@Mara TB racing in Germany is a very niche interest and doesn’t have the same betting public. As @Texarkana said, limited racing, limited population. One reason perhaps why they aren’t widely acknowledged in current WB breeding. Big generalisation here, but they can be a little slower to mature than UK/Irish TB as they don’t have so much American blood but they appear and win in key races such as The Arc in the autumn. Monsun, champion sire for 4 years in Germany, was a top class stallion with an excellent and international influence in Europe and Australia.