Winstar Farm

WinStar Constellation Spring 2019

Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1105396

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 17 of 131

C O N S T E L L A T I O N C O N S T E L L A T I O N WinStarFarm.com Green is Good 18 American turf racing is marked by a recent increase in opportunities. By Tom Law The grass is always greener on the other side, or so the old saying goes. Certainly it's cliché when used out of envy, and that just might be the case from those outside the United States when they look at racing run on the grass here in America. Racing on the green is becoming more and more lucrative in the U.S.—particularly as the 2019 season kicks into high gear this spring, summer and fall—and with it a lot more green in the form of dollars into the pockets of breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys. The grass is greener indeed. Lucrative turf racing in America is certainly not a new phenomenon, far from it, but there is no doubt about the growth of that type of racing whose roots go back more than a century in some parts of the country. "Our whole identity has been based on dirt for generations, but when you look at some of the most influential sires of all time, they came over from Europe and were nothing but turf," said Sean Tugel, WinStar Farm's Director of Bloodstock Services and Assistant Racing Manager. "Finally we're starting to see to fruition what people behind races like the Arlington Million, major races that have been around for 30 years now, were thinking. They knew it doesn't matter what surface you win a horse race on, it's still an exhilarating feeling. "At the end of the day it all comes down to purse structure. Now racetracks are providing equal opportunity for turf horses to make money. For a long time the stakes races for dirt compared to turf there was such a discrepancy in terms of purse money. That may have given people an aversion to turf racing because maybe they felt they didn't have a chance to make money. Now stud farms are willing to stand turf horses. It's all one big circle. Everyone is starting to get on the same page." GREEN GOOD IS

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

view archives of Winstar Farm - WinStar Constellation Spring 2019