OpinionLewis Porteous
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Britain’s middle-distance crisis: how this year’s Group 1 results reveal a shocking pattern
Lewis PorteousReporter
Goliath put British challengers to the sword in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes Credit: Getty Images
Let's start with a bit of trivia: in Group 1 contests staged beyond a mile on the Flat in Britain this year, how many winners have been trained on home soil?
There have been 11 qualifying races in 2024, starting with the Coronation Cup, Oaks and Derby at Epsom, encompassing the likes of the Prince of Wales's Stakes and Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, then on to summer highlights such as the Eclipse, King George and International Stakes.
Incredibly, not one has gone to a horse trained in Britain.
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- Good luck to those who spent big at Tattersalls last week - recent history suggests you might need it
- Galileo's death has left the staying division at a critical crossroads - but there's also an opportunity to be seized
- Difficult to overstate how important Wathnan could be for the health of British racing
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