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Captain's Blog - Racing UK |
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Captain's Blog - Thursday 5th April 2012
A one million pound prize fund has been put forward should Frankel and Black Caviar take each other on in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. This is a genuine and generous attempt to bring the two best horses in the world together, but would we really discover who was the best in the world? in short would it be a fair fight or one that is heavily waited in one horse's favour thereby rendering the result meaningless.
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I love the idea of million pound match ups such as the Seabiscuit shoot out with War Admiral at Santa Anita. They garner excitement, great publicity for the sport and a superb piece of sporting theatre ensues. However to make the race special it needs to be an even match up and I am not sure this would be.
Frankel is a proven miler who will step up to a mile and a quarter this year. Black Caviar is a sprinter. She has won five times at 5 furlongs, 13 times at 6 furlongs and once at 7 furlongs. To ask her to take Frankel on at a mile immediately places her at a disadvantage as she is not proven at a mile whereas he is. She is being asked to compromise, he is not. Secondly he has already won a Sussex Stakes so handles the unique undulations of the track, she only races on flat tracks in Australia. Thirdly she has only raced right handed once and that was at Randwick racecourse in Sydney whereas Frankel has plenty of right handed experience. Finally Frankel will only have to endure a short trip in a horsebox to Goodwood whereas Black Caviar has to travel across the world. With these factors in mind this would not be a fair match and I expect trainer Peter Moody will see it that way, however money talks and this bold attempt by Goodwood and Qipco may come off and if it does it will be fascinating, but defeat for Black Caviar would under these circumstances hardly prove that Frankel is the better racehorse of the two.
Frankel vs Black Caviar we all want to see it but the race conditions must not be be weighted in one horses favour.
I think a 7 furlong race left handed in Dubai for a cool million quid would be the way to go. It would be a level playing field for both horses and from that we would have a true champion.
I hope you have a good day.
Today’s Selection
4.50 Ludlow – Carminero
