Bob Dylan, King George, and the Evolution of Major Middle-Distance Races

MORE prize money and geldings heading to middle distance races in Europe.

Why? For me it’s all just as Bob Dylan sang: ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’.

Benvenuto Cellini will likely head Aidan O’Brien’s team in the King George… but the Ascot race is no longer considered a top stallion-making contest like it was a few years ago Credit: Sportsfile

Ascot announced today that next year’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes will have a prize-money boost to a record £2.5million.

That’s 25 per cent more than this year.

On the one hand, of course, it’s an attempt to gain interest from international challengers, something Ascot has been superb at over the years with the influence and enthusiasm for competition from the track’s excellent director of racing and public affairs Nick Smith.

But on the other, I suspect Ascot has realised that the King George is no longer considered a stallion-making race, something it certainly could claim in the past.

Back in the day Montjeu and Galileo both took the King George, and if you go further back say hello to Nijinsky and Mill Reef.

But right now Nathaniel (2011) is about the most recent stallion of note to win what should be the biggest midsummer mile and a half showdown.

The simple truth is most top class stallions come from races like the Eclipse, Juddmote International or Irish Champion Stakes and any trip of a mile and a quarter or shorter.

It’s not to say winning over a mile and half is a huge negative to the right stallion.

Sea the Stars has proved that despite the fact he won the Arc.

But the French smash-up at the end of the year is in the same boat as the King George.

It makes no difference to a stallion prospect whether the horse has won the Arc or not, so you have to do all you can to simply make the race the best and most competitive you can.

That’s why geldings are so important for the Arc, and why I hope those who vote will do so favourably for that to happen moving forward.

Now don’t get me wrong here.

I love long distance races and would like to see breeders more rewarded for producing such types.

But it’s at the commercial end of the sport that a revolution needs to take place, and until – and probably it never will – that happens the major middle distance contests have to make themselves as sexy as they possibly can.

Prize money is certainly one way.

So well done Ascot and hopefully well done France Galop.

It’s all there in the title. The sport is called horse racing.

Let’s race and be as good as we can in every sense.

Long live the King George.

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