Was having a couple of beers with a mate last night and we both agreed the internationals are good for the cup, but thought there should be a rule introduced whereby each horse in the cup field has to run at least one group two in the country in the three months before the cup.
Benefits
- Gives punters slightly more exposed form
- Will bring more internationals into other big races, particularly CC and probably the Cox
- Gives the connections a chance to test their horse in Oz first (maybe that's not a good thing. can sow seeds of doubt)
Only four of the 11 internationals ran a lead up race in Oz - Protectionest, Admire Rakti, Siesmos, Au Revoir.
Of the top of my head now, but I'm not sure how many (if any) horses have won the Cup on a "hit and run" effort. Americain won the Geelong Cup. Dunaden came back and won the Caulfield but can't remember how long it was out here on it's Melb Cup winning prep.
Thoughts? Unnecessary? Too much resistance from connections?
Who are the VRC to be telling them how to train their horses though? It has been 20 years since the raiders started coming but I think everyone is still working out the best way for their horse, and that differs for every animal. So to say no you can't come into the race 1st up after 4 months puts some of them at a real disadvantage. Some may not even turn up because of it, now that the quarantine laws have changed and they have access to the Herbert Power they all might want to run in it anyway if that's what history says you need to do, but to have a blanket rule and say you must race here or here or here I just don't think it would work.