Date posted January 11, 2010 | Posted by Graeme Kelly | Filed under
Quick QuestionsQueensland (Jan 11th, 2010) - Peter Ellis – an Australian and international form analyst – attended a number of the world’s major race meetings in 2009. Over the years he has also “walked” around most of the world’s most famous racecourses as well as many of the not so famous.
Stallions’ Graeme Kelly spoke to Peter about the horses and the races he witnessed in the last 12 months, the racetracks he has inspected and other matters:
Q.: In which countries have you attended race meetings this year?
A.: Outside of Australia I’ve been to meetings in Dubai, England, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore and the United States
Q.: What major race meetings did you attend in 2009?
A.: I was at the Dubai World Cup meeting in March; the QEII Cup in Hong Kong in April; the Singapore Airlines International Cup in May, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October, the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita in November and the Hong Kong International Races in December.
Peter Ellis
Q.: Which meeting did you enjoy the most?
A.: The Breeders Cup meeting at Santa Anita. It is only a small course and the crowd of 58,000 was excited and enthusiastic. The racing is close to you and the San Gabrielle mountains are in the background, so you couldn’t have a better atmosphere.
Q.: Which was the best race you saw in 2009?
A.: It was a dead-heat between the victory of Sea The Stars in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the win of Zenyatta in the Breeders Cup Classic. All the same they were achieved in different circumstances. Sea The Stars was expected to win but Zenyatta was the first mare to win the Breeders Cup Classic and she seemed to have an almost impossible task when she was last 25 lengths from the lead with a lap to go.
Q.: Which was the best performance you saw?
A.: Once again it was a split decision. Zenyatta put up an unbelievable performance, especially considering she was having her first start over 2000m, and she was up against 10 Group 1 winners so it was a very impressive performance. But at the same time the push-button display of Sea The Stars in winning the Arc was truly outstanding so really you couldn’t go one way or the other.
Q.: Which, in your opinion, is the best racehorse in the world?
A.: I’d have to say Sea The Stars. In fact I think he is quite possibly the best horse I’ve ever seen. He did the almost impossible by winning the English 2000 Guineas, The Derby, weight-for-age races like the Eclipse and the Juddmonte and then coming back and winning the Arc. He was retired unbeaten but I must say I would liked to have seen him race on as a four-year-old.
Q.: What is the best performance you saw in Australia during 2009?
A.: I think Takeover Target’s win in the T.J.Smith. It was probably the most exciting, given the crowd support he had, and he did it in style winning in course record time. Scenic Blast’s win in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington and So You Think in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley were also top-class but in the main it was a pretty average year in Australia.
Q.: How do feel racing is standing up to the economic meltdown?
A.: I think it is standing up all right at the top level, particularly in growth areas like Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. But I think there is need for concern about the second and third tiers of the industry. The prizemoney in country races in Victoria has been stagnant so a lot of trainers are struggling. It is a similar story in England. Once you get away from the feature meetings the prize money is embarrassingly low and it is very tough for even your middle range of trainer.
Sea The Stars (Cape Cross - Urban Sea)
Q.: You have walked racecourses around the world. Which do you regard as the best?
A.: I’d have to say Longchamp, because it is so spacious and gives every horse a chance. You can either lead and win or come from the back and win. It is an enormously wide course and has the advantage of not being over-raced. I believe the best tracks are the ones that give every horse a genuine chance and other courses like Goodwood, The Curragh and Sha Tin come into that category.
Q.: What are best synthetic tracks you have seen?
A.: The pro-ride at Santa Anita is the best synthetic I’ve seen and the best dirt tracks are at Churchill Downs and Saratoga.
Q.: How do Australia’s racecourses compare?
A.: I think our racecourses and our curators are right up with the best in the world. I think the problem we have is that there is so much racing on our tracks that it tends to create a bias, which is definitely a negative.
Q.: Do you intend going to major race meetings this year?
A.: I’ll be going to Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, possibly the English Derby and I’m working on going to Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood, the Irish Derby, the Arc, the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita and Hong Kong again at the end of the year. South Africa, South America and Japan are also on the agenda for later on.
Q.: Have you heard any talk about the new Meydan racing complex being constructed in Dubai?
A.: Only that it is a work in progress and that it will be open on schedule in January but that it will not be completed by then. It is hoped that everything will be finished in time for the Dubai World Cup at the end of March.
Q.: Do you have time for any activities or hobbies outside the racing industry?
A.: I like running, race walking and hiking are activities I like and they help keep me reasonably fit.
