Can Workforce avoid the Hall of Slain?
It is probably one of the most unwanted club memberships but its next prospective candidate is being given every chance to avoid election.
Victory in the Derby is supposed to be the gateway by which a colt may begin his journey to the pantheon dedicated to the best of the Thoroughbred breed. However, in recent years it has become something of a dead-end and one which connections of Workforce will be hoping to avoid when he lines up for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot next month.
Since High Chaparral won the Derby in 2002 the next four colts who followed him into the Epsom winner's enclosure did not see the inside of another one during their racing careers. Kris Kin, who won 12 months later, did not show anything like that form in the three subsequent runs of his brief career and it was a similar tale with North Light after his success at Epsom in 2004.
Motivator was a slightly different story in that he was dropped down to 10 furlongs for his next two runs. He was beaten a half-length by Oratorio in both the Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes and a belated return to a mile-and-a-half, in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, saw him fare little better. Sir Percy fared even worse by not making the first three in any of his four runs after his battling Derby at Epsom, but both Authorized and New Approach provided some counterbalance by with subsequent victories – despite being beaten on their post-Derby appearance.
Only Sea The Stars emerged unscathed, passing the post on each of his four starts after winning the Derby.
There has been an increased tendency to seek a Group One 10-furlong victory after winning over the Classic middle-distance. However, the drop in distance has more often than not brought a similar dip in performance. Of the previous 20 Derby winners before Authorized, a dozen (Sir Percy, Motivator, North Light, High Chaparral, Galileo, Benny The Dip, Shaamit, Erhaab, Dr Devious, Quest For Fame, Nashwan and Reference Point) ran subsequently over 10 furlongs of which only three (High Chaparral, Quest For Fame, Nashwan) ever succeeded, although Authorized, New Approach and Sea The Stars all achieved 10-furlong wins.
The success of this decision is measured by the colt's next career as a sire, with the supposed need to find a 10-furlong victory, preferably at Group One level, to buff up the tyro stallion's CV.
That motivation for what is almost a commercial break from the 12-furlong targets such as the King George has not entered the thinking of those, like trainer Sir Michael Stoute, plotting the racing career of Workforce. Having shown himself a thorough stayer, when he won the Derby by seven lengths in record-breaking time, the decision has been to both remain at 12 furlongs and not to rush the colt back from what was undoubtedly a hard race by throwing him into a run on Sunday in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.
Explaining the rationale Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, was quoted as saying: “The thinking is he had a tough enough race in the Derby and the Irish Derby just comes a little bit too soon. He's a big, scopey horse and we want to give him that bit more time for the King George. He's in good form, the Arc will be the objective after that and we'll have to see how he gets there.”
The clear objective is to give Workforce every chance to fulfil his potential. It is laudable if a champion is being campaigned with lofty motives in mind, as too many have been protected from such competition, but a cold-eyed assessment might argue that keeping the colt to the 12-furlong races that showcase his talents so well is the right option.
Two hottest tickets in Europe at present are Galileo and Montjeu, whose racing and breeding careers have been remarkably similar. Both made their names on the racecourse at a mile-and-a-half and both met with defeat when they were tried over a mile-and-a-quarter thereafter.
The lack of a significant 10-furlong trophy to either of their names has made no discernible impact to their stud careers having produced three Derby winners between them in the last six years.
That most exclusive of clubs is the one that Abdullah will be aiming for.
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