Finding a Stayer in the Cup

Published: 23 Jan 2015

A stayer? - Off The Rails steps up in distance for the Australia Day Cup

One of the key factors that makes the difference between a good horse and a winner is stamina. Just how willing and able is your horse to keep its run going for that extra furlong and beat the others home?

If we always knew that, punting on staying races would be even easier than just picking a Waller runner!

Type

First of all, horses usually have to be of a certain build to get the longer trips. Those builds can vary from the long and lean type (Planet Purple) to the ‘no-frills’ and tough type (Ghost Protocol).

What they all have in common is a lack of the extra muscle bulk and power that sprinters have. It was Black Caviar’s heavy rear-end that stopped her from racing over a mile!

Oriental Lady is a good example of an Efficient Type, with a leaner build than most others. She looks to be a mare that will lap up the 2,400 metres of the Cup.

An Efficient Stayer - Oriental Lady doesn't carry the muscle bulk of a sprinter

Breeding

How clean winded, athletic and efficient a galloper is can’t always be worked out by looking at them. A horses breeding will give a few hints about how they might race and if they have stamina in their make-up.

Listening to trainers comments (and reading Race Guide profiles) will also give you a feel of whether or not a horse is a staying type.

Bred to stay - Gallatin is a son of Street Cry and has stamina in his blood

Genuineness

Some horses just get a longer distance through pure will alone. Casino Dancer is bred to be, and looks like, a short-course sprinter. She has even won over 1,100 metres in the past!

Her strength is her toughness, a horse that always gives her all. The 2,400 metres looks beyond what she is capable of, but she's not the type you can ever dismiss.

Tough enough? - Casino Dancer stretches out to 2,400 metres on Saturday

The Verdict

Oriental Lady has similar form to the others and she seems set to improve again up to 2,400 metres. Ghost Protocol will be staying on and Dana’s Best will be grinding away right to the line.

For the full Race Guide, click here