It's not just breeders who are to blame for Europe's middle-distance decline - the handicappers are culpable too

The startling statistic unearthed by my colleague Lewis Porteous in his column this week was akin to a double-barrelled blast from a shotgun.
Britain’s inability to win a single domestic Group 1 race beyond a mile this season illustrates at a stroke where the training power lies. And its broader message amounts to a withering condemnation of where the breeding industry stands today.
In this respect, however, the problem is not Britain’s alone. With the exception of Coolmore and breeders in Germany, Europe as a whole has gravitated towards producing sprinting types, most of them with pedigrees that are corrupting influences when they retire to stud.
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 inJulian Muscat
Last updated
- There's only one way for Constitution Hill to emerge from the shadow of jeopardy - switch him to the Flat
- He’s not permitted to dance every dance but it’s Calandagan’s world and we're all just living in it
- Mega money spent at the sales gives British jumps trainers more hope than anything we’re seeing on a racecourse
- Punters and racegoers are short-changed while 'winner' earns £13,000 for beating nothing - how can this possibly be right?
- What do you want from racing punditry? Surely fewer ex-jockeys on television would be a start
- There's only one way for Constitution Hill to emerge from the shadow of jeopardy - switch him to the Flat
- He’s not permitted to dance every dance but it’s Calandagan’s world and we're all just living in it
- Mega money spent at the sales gives British jumps trainers more hope than anything we’re seeing on a racecourse
- Punters and racegoers are short-changed while 'winner' earns £13,000 for beating nothing - how can this possibly be right?
- What do you want from racing punditry? Surely fewer ex-jockeys on television would be a start
