Quality of horses not the pace of races the reason why the Irish are so dominant
It was interesting to read during the week that Harry Fry and Aidan Coleman believe the way races are run in Britain is exacerbating the domination of Irish horses.
They suggested British races are run too hard from the outset, which results in many contests being won by the last man standing. In other words, British horses finish their races knackered and go through the pain barrier too early in their development, curtailing their careers, while Irish races are run very differently meaning their horses cross the line with more left in the tank. The inference is that they improve for the experience, and have more longevity as a consequence.
There is almost certainly plenty of truth in that, but what can anyone do about it? It started with Martin Pipe. He totally changed the racing landscape with the way he trained his horses, and won thousands of races by just having fitter horses who went off hard and exploited the lack of conditioning in the opposition.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on 21 February 2024inTom Segal
Last updated 10:39, 21 February 2024
- The 2,000 Guineas is one of my favourite races but I simply cannot work out how City Of Troy ran so badly on Saturday
- Willie Mullins is a phenomenon who's rewriting the record books - but his dominance could cause long-term damage to racing
- The 2,000 Guineas might not be a cakewalk for City Of Troy and this is the horse I fancy to put it up to him
- Jumping ability is no longer key when it comes to landing big races - as I Am Maximus's Grand National win showed
- Why I won't be scared looking at horses near the top of the weights for a testing-ground Grand National
- The 2,000 Guineas is one of my favourite races but I simply cannot work out how City Of Troy ran so badly on Saturday
- Willie Mullins is a phenomenon who's rewriting the record books - but his dominance could cause long-term damage to racing
- The 2,000 Guineas might not be a cakewalk for City Of Troy and this is the horse I fancy to put it up to him
- Jumping ability is no longer key when it comes to landing big races - as I Am Maximus's Grand National win showed
- Why I won't be scared looking at horses near the top of the weights for a testing-ground Grand National