Subject:  世界巡迴錦標賽今年停辦(轉載自Racing Post),詳情請見內文 |
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Lincoln
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Date Posted: 22:03:45 02/07/06 Tue
Author Host/IP: n219077132059.netvigator.com/219.77.132.59
WRC will be missing this year
by Howard Wright
THE World Racing Championships, which have been decided annually on points gained for placings in major international middle-distance races, will be missing this year, and are unlikely to return in anything like their previous form, if at all.
The WRC committee announced on Monday that it would liaise with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities "to study the feasibility of introducing in 2007 a new merit award system, which would give worldwide recognition to the best performers aroundthe world".
Since the IFHA took responsibility for the year's international classifications for the 2004 Northern and Southern Hemisphere seasons, and called them the World Racehorse Rankings, it has been looking to establish their standing more firmly.
Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, which promoted the Baileys Irish Champion Stakes as part of the WRC series, and a committee representative, said on Monday: "As our member organisations look forward, we must provide a sharper focus on world rankings and recognition that they can be widely tracked and accepted by the entire racing world."
Despite the loss of this year's WRC framework, the concept has spawned two shorter-distance offshoots, involving far fewer countries, in theform of the Asia Mile Challenge and the Global Sprint Challenge, which began in Australia on Saturday with Takeover Target winning the Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
The WRC competition began in 1999 as the World Series Racing Championship, but its struggle for ongoing recognition began when the UAE airline Emirates, the initial sponsor, pulled out after three years. Attempts to find a major international brand as a replacement failed, though Rolls Royce provided back-up for one year. Participating racecourses in the ten countries that staged races, including Ascot, were forced to fund promotion and incentives themselves.
However, finding a sponsor was only one of the organisers' problems. Creating a recognisable and ongoing identity, especially after the Dubai World Cup was withdrawn from the schedule, proved equally elusive.
Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation won the first four runnings, with Daylami, Fantastic Light (twice) and Grandera, before High Chaparral broke the run in 2003, though Godolphin's retained rider, Frankie Dettori, was champion that year, and again in 2004.
The slide became most noticeable in 2004, when German-trained Epalo, who dead-heated with Godolphin-owned Sulamani, won on a countback with 16 points, the lowest scorein six years and eight points fewer than the previous "worst".
Then last year, Vengeance Of Rain became the first non-European "world champion" without ever having stepped out of Hong Kong, which ran two of the 13 qualifying races. He is likely to be the last World Racing Champion.
Kavanagh commented: "While no timetable is set for a relaunch of the World Racing Championships in a new format, the members will continue their full commitment and co-operation to showcase international competition at itshighest levels."
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