Time to put an end to short-termism and all the damage it causes

In this space two days ago Lee Mottershead wrote of a recent instance when a letter to the editor induced in him a silent cheer of complete agreement. When he went on to highlight the folly of breeding fast two-year-olds at the expense of middle-distance and staying horses it induced in yours truly a similar emotion. It is a subject particularly close to this heart.

The catastrophic damage caused by such short-term, profit-driven thinking has been evident for many years to those who follow developments in the breeding industry in tandem with events on the racecourse. Like racing and betting, the two are inextricably linked. But there is now a fundamental difference in the centuries-old relationship between racing and breeding.

Where breeding was once driven by racing, it is now the other way round. Breeders have been driving the racing programme, with the sad consequence that the cart has been put before the horse.