Opinions on Euro domination of American turf...

[madelyn]

I've noticed a significant rise, over the past few years, of Euro bloodlines cropping up and excelling in the US st the stakes level. Not just turf, but also dirt and poly, particularly when crossed with US dirt bloodlines..

I wonder if this nascence can be attributed, in all or in some part, to the ban on Lasix in stakes races?

Euro horses don't run on Lasix there. I think a lot of US trainers fall back on Lasix - I know from experience if you have a minor bleeder there are a lot of other things (supplements, nebulizing, etc) that can be done - of course it is a LOT more work and the use of supplements cannot be relied on unless you have literate and caring help... any thoughts out there?

[steward]

I vaguely recall a Bloodhorse article reporting about the lesser European purse structures compared to other countries, including some states in our country. One would have to research sheer numbers among other factors, including whether those horses are subjected to American training methods (including lasix) before drawing a conclusion, right?

[madelyn]

I hunted pretty hard for the article you reference but could find no trace. The articles I found mentioning purses related more to the inadequacy of purses vs training costs in the US.