The turf: Triumph and tragedy

Have the French got the balls to do it? After the triumph of Corine Barande-Barbe’s globe-trotting superstar Cirrus des Aigles in Dubai’s Sheema Classic on World Cup Night the debate has resumed: will they open up Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, to horses like Cirrus des Anges who are geldings — animals with their wedding tackle removed, an operation often performed to improve the temperament of an unruly colt? Should such top races be reserved for horses with a breeding future or should top-class geldings be allowed to take their chance alongside mares and ‘entire’ horses. Since the most exciting older horses are often geldings it must at least be considered. After all, the French did alter the length of their Derby to suit modern breeding fashion and it is probably only a matter of time before some European Court of Rights rules that barring geldings is denying the rights of a minority.