A real marathon track ?

[Stormy Peak]

I breed mostly turf routers. I always considered anything from 1 1/16 to 1 3/8 as like regular route distances, with the distance of 1 1/2 kind of stuck right in the middle of that and marathon distances.

The 1 1/2 distance can be a stretch for horses more comfortable a little over 1 1/4, but also a wee shy of comfortable for horses that are marathoners that are better at distances greater than the 1 1/2 miles.

Anyway...we have a 'Marathon Racecourse' that often sees 'shorter routes' (under 1 1/4 miles), but RARELY ever has races over 1 1/2 miles, I would Love to see a lot more true long route races in the USA, or even the world for that matter. I am very willing to ship my marathoners to a 2 mile race on another continent, but finding them on a weekly basis is so difficult.
Often if I have a maiden... I can only find 2 mile stakes, or if I have a stakes, I can only find 1 race at that distance but it's for maidens, and I have a nw3 that I can't fit into the race.

Could the Sim put up a true marathon track, and schedule only races 1 1/2 miles on up for it? Or would anyone else think this isn't feasible...not enough interest...etc. ???

Marathon Racecourse could still schedule in what it's already doing with the occasional long routes...but having a track dedicated to the longer marathon distances would be lovely, in my opinion. A track that specializes in more 2 mile races than those a little under or over that mark. Kind of like how Dashing Downs does sprints.

Anyone else have a tough time finding truly long routes for their dirt or turf marathoners?

Stormy

[Andrew Chillin]

I know there’s a handful and almost full schedule of over 2 miles for turf. They’re spread through middle Asia and south p. Not really North America. There’s fewer 2+ for dirt.

10f (1 1/4)is classic distance for dirt. So less than 10 is short route. 12f + is marathon. So yeah 1.5 miles and up are marathon for dirt.

Turf stretches it 12f is classic and 2mile + is marathon. Shorter than 12 is short route.