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The Ever-Changing Distance of the CCA Oaks

Written by Ian Tapp | Jul 20, 2011 | 14 Comments

Saturday's 95th running of the Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I) will be contested at 9 furlongs for the second consecutive year. It might be hard to believe, but 8 years and 3 furlongs ago this was the premier staying race for 3-year-old fillies. Over its history, the race's fluctuation in distance—often due to a change on the calendar or to the venue—borders on the comical.

A race searching for a distance identity?

Tracks have also changed frequently, and the Coaching Club has been run at Belmont, Aqueduct, and Saratoga. Just a few years ago the race was held at Belmont, where the 12-furlong distance made the race a filly counterpart to the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). Now it's on opening weekend at Saratoga, where track configuration prevents a 12-furlong dirt race (the start would leave no run-up to the first of three turns). Saratoga could run it at 10 furlongs, but the Alabama already fills that role. Reverted to 9 furlongs, the distance now matches the Mother Goose and Gazelle as other New York grade I's for 3-year-old fillies.

Interestingly, 9 furlongs is actually the race's original trip. The inaugural 1917 running (worth a whopping $3,000) was carded at 1 1/8 miles at Belmont, but the race was lengthened by a furlong in each of the next two years.

1917 chart from the Coaching Club's first running

This year's renewal is a strong one. The field consists of five graded stakes winners, including Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Plum Pretty, Mother Goose (gr. I) winner Buster's Ready, and Acorn (gr. I) winner It's Tricky. The morning line favorite is Royal Delta, who took the Black-Eyed Susan (gr. II), and Kentucky Oaks favorite Joyful Victory rounds out the field. That's an impressive line-up at any distance, but to me the race seems a few furlongs short. What are your thoughts?

Filed under: Racing and Training, Race Previews

14 Comments:

I like 1 1/4 miles, period. Make it mean something, like the Del Cap, Alabama. BC Ladies' Classic is too short!

JerseyTom 20 Jul 2011 7:47 PM

Jersey Tom only likes Turfway races, dont let him BS you.

Jason Shandler 20 Jul 2011 9:35 PM

I would rather see it at 1 1/4 miles or longer. High class distance races are already few enough as is, especially for fillies and mares.

The Flying Sunshine 21 Jul 2011 7:45 AM

I was THRILLED when the race was 12f, when the CCA Oaks, Suburban, and several other races were shortened, I lost interest in watching them-and in fact I WON'T watch them. I am tired of these 7f, 8f, and 9f races and frankly they're boring to watch. I want my distance races back! They are FAR more exciting and I love watching them! What I wouldn't even give to see the 2m JCGC again!

LD 21 Jul 2011 9:46 AM

I noticed they've shortened the distance for the Mother Goose too and they moved up the dates in the calendar while also switching the CCAO with the Alabama in sequence.Laughable!

Kind of like Eddie Vedder and his freakin ukelele songs!

What's up with that?!!

Smile now Cry later 21 Jul 2011 12:13 PM

Agree with LD. I also love marathon races and would like to see a 2-miler for top-class company. ... If you watch any of the marathon series for cheap horses at various tracks, you'll note not all the starters are bred to go that long. They're trained for it, plod along, and are competitive. ... on a barely-related note, interesting a country that puts such emphasis on blazing along at short distances wants to ban Salix. ...

JerseyTom 21 Jul 2011 3:20 PM

I voted for 10 furlongs, but would love to see it back at 12. It's so sad to watch our classic races (JCGC, Woodward, Oak Tree Invitational, Beldame, Strub) from 20, 30, 40 years ago and see how they've all been shortened to the usual 1-1/4 (JCGC, OTI) or 1-1/8 mile (Beldame, Strub) distances. Even the Mother Goose and Hollywood Oaks have shortened from 1-1/8 miles to 1-1/16 miles. Kind of sad.

Courthouseguy1999 21 Jul 2011 4:34 PM

america should be speed on the dirt , Europe distance on the grass. 1 1/16 is plenty long for a three year old filly.

W. R. Hancock 21 Jul 2011 7:47 PM

There was a time when the Acorn, Mother Goose, and CCA Oaks meant something. At one time, to complete the sweep constituted the closest thing the 3 year old fillies had to a triple crown that matched up to the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont. Occasionally, you would also have a 3 year old filly also win the Kentucky Oaks and Black Eyed Susan. I believe Davona Dale accomplished that feat. Having a CCA Oaks winner in the bloodlines (not necessarily as the dam)used to mean something that indicated the ability to stay a distance. Now it's just another middle distance race.

There has been a criticism of West Coast racing even before those tracks changed their surfaces to synthetics but at least those tracks have retained the timing and distances of their time honored stakes races, like the San Felipe, Santa Anita, Derby, Santa Anita Handicap, Vanity Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, whereas East Coast racing, particularly New York racing has done nothing but relegate what once were time honored Handicaps, Juvenile races, and Sophomore races to something unrecognizable to the long term racing fan.

The recent whining by Havre De Grace's connections indicate the atmosphere of racing today. Thank goodness the racing secretary weighted those two mares based on current form. The argument that Havre De Grace had 1 grade one win to Blind Luck's six was ludicrous. This year, Havre De Grace was a grade one and undefeated mare, whereas Blind Luck was a thrice beaten, and single grade one winner traveling to Havre De Grace's hometrack. In a handicap, there should be no such thing as favoritism to the home track horse by the racing secretary, and thankfully there wasn't. Given the way these two fillies have run against each other, it was the first time Blind Luck received weight from her rival. If we have any more match ups between these two, I can't imagine either filly not performing and battling each other as they have previously, no matter what the weight assignment.

livewire 21 Jul 2011 8:30 PM

The Fillies' Belmont and THE classic race for 3yo fillies for most of the 20th Century is now a mere prep race. (The Test used to be the Alabama prep, until the mania for one-dimensional sprinters came along.) It was and should be run the weekend after the Belmont, at a classic distance (10-12f). Or the NTRA should honorably retire the name and leave its history intact. I HATE what the NTRA did to the Ladies' Hcp., which, before the Breeders' Cup came along, was THE Championship race for older mares. Slapping these storied names on new races is disgraceful, IMHO.

Pedigree Ann 22 Jul 2011 3:48 AM

Spot on Pedigree Ann., an OAKS race is a middle distance race, that is what it means everywhere else in the world.

This race was not an 'Oaks' race last year, or will be again this year.

This now just gives the Kentucky Oaks more importance in the racing Calendar.

Hal Dane 22 Jul 2011 12:00 PM

By fiddling too much with these classic-type races we in a sense distort racing history, particularly the reputations of previous participants in those races. It requires a present racing public ever more knowledge to appreciate (grasp) the level of performance of past runners. Consider, for example, the denegration of such races as the Suburban and Brooklyn Hdcps, and the more recent errosion of the Belmont Futurity and Matron.

sceptre 23 Jul 2011 11:50 AM

I know it's a long way to ask a Filly to run, but I still had to vote for 12 Furlongs. The Classics should be a long way otherwise they won't "Truely" be a Classic.

I also agree that the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the B.C. Marathon should both be 2 Miles !!! How are we ever going to "Rebuild" the Classic American Pedigree if we keep everything at Middle Distances ???

But, whatever the powers that be decide, "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE" pick a Distance and a Track and keep it the same..."EVERY YEAR" !!!!!

CRob87 25 Jul 2011 1:41 AM

I loved distance races, in my riding days I allways found them easier on a horse than the sprint where a horse is chopping away the whole race and it is always easier to overcome a bad break or stumble from the gate or overcome a bit of trouble through the running, a horse can settle into a nice long stride and breath easier,also horses very seldom break down when they run long. that is where you see the better rider win more often, races are easier to handicap handicap.

Big Red 25 Jul 2011 7:24 PM

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The Ever-Changing Distance of the CCA Oaks

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