Sprinters vs. Routers (getting better)

Is there any evidence that if the highest quality routers were versatile enough to compete against the highest quality sprinters the routers would have an edge over them?  (assuming their speed figures were identical)

In know that in theory that shouldn\'t be the case, but this is why I ask.

The owners of the very best horses in the country obviously prefer to run in Grade I routes because the purses tend to be bigger and the breeding industry prefers Grade I route wins.

I think it isn\'t too difficult to make the leap that the best routes contain better horses on average than the best sprints for that reason. There are horses, like Congaree for example, that could go either way. They all train towards routes or middle distances because of the money and prestige. So perhaps those routes are deeper and of higher quality.

In the BC there have been examples of routers that successfully turned back to sprints. Precisionist is one. Smile is another. Dancing Spree is still another. All were versatile horses that succesfully dropped back and proved better than the sprinters.

Again, given equal speed figures are the best routers actually better horses than the best sprinters?  

Jerry,

Perhaps you have the average speed figures for graded sprint stakes vs. graded route stakes overall and by Grade I only.

It might also be interesting to chart that over an extended period of time to see if the point made about sprinters improving more than routers is valid. Perhaps at one time there was a gap, but now it has narrowed or reversed.

Thanks.



Post Edited (11-16-03 19:20)

[TGJB]

There is too much going on now to get into this, but if you bring it up again in early December we\'ll take a look at it.