HORSE RACING : Not Much U.S. Defense for Foreign Invasion

In the years when European horses made their initial forays to U.S. races, Americans were rooting for the foreigners to overcome the difficulties of transoceanic travel, hoping that international racing competition might become a reality.

But the Europeans are no longer underdogs. When the plane bearing Kentucky Derby favorite Arazi and two other colts arrived here from France Sunday, it represented a threat as much as an exciting new era of internationalism in the sport. The prospect exists that European horses could dominate the most important U.S. races -- and it worries Americans who can see the trend developing.

“I don’t mind throwing them a bone in a grass race or two,” said America’s leading trainer, Wayne Lukas. “But don’t let them win the Derby or they’ll have 10 horses over here next year.”

The possibility of a European invasion is so worrisome because the quality of America’s racehorses has become demonstrably inferior. Even casual fans can sense the decline when they see a mediocre animal like Strike the Gold win the 1991 Kentucky Derby, and when they can’t find a single American-based 3 year old who seems to have special ability this year. There hasn’t been an acclaimed American superstar since Spectacular Bid in 1979-80.

Not coincidentally, that was about the time when foreign buyers started to dominate American yearling sales, taking the cream of Kentucky’s thoroughbred crop year after year. The U.S. dollar was relatively weak in many years and, even when it wasn’t, the Maktoum brothers of Dubai were so much richer than any other buyers that they would always dominate the auction. (In the American yearling sales of 1990, which produced the current 3-year-old crop, 21 of the 28 most expensive horses were sold to foreign buyers.) Many of the most successful American-bred racehorses have stayed in Europe to stand at stud, as Arazi will do, so Kentucky isn’t even dominating the production of top-class horses as it once did.

Even so, the success of European horses in America was for a long time limited to grass races. In the first seven runnings of the Breeders’ Cup, 25 horses came from abroad to race on the dirt, and all 25 lost. In the early years, they were all trounced. In 1990, two ran second. And then, in 1991, long shot Sheikh Albadou beat the Americans at their best game, winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and Arazi scored his electrifying victory in the Juvenile while making his first start on dirt.

“For a long time there was a mystique in Europe about racing on dirt,” said Dick Lundy, who runs the American part of the international operation of Allen Paulson, owner of Arazi. “They weren’t sending the right horses. But they have gotten better in picking the horses with the right pedigree and the right way of moving. They’re aware of the ones which are adaptable to dirt.”

The Europeans too have developed dirt training tracks to prepare horses for American racing. Ron McAnally has just taken over the training of Dr Devious, the top English colt, and has found he is already well-schooled for the conditions he will encounter in the Kentucky Derby. “He’s worked on an American-type all-weather track. He’s learned to run around sharper turns. He’s had sand kicked in his face,” McAnally said. “The Europeans have realized what they have to do to run on dirt.”

Having learned this crucial lesson, having mastered the techniques of shipping horses across the Atlantic, and possessing the best horses, the Europeans seem poised to dominate U.S. races on both dirt and turf. And there is almost nothing that Americans can do about it. Even if our breeders and horsemen were somehow spurred by this competition, foreign buyers will still have the financial strength to take our best horses.

The Maktoums are rich enough to outspend even the wealthiest Americans. And it is unlikely that Americans could retaliate and win classics in England and France. Said Lukas: “It’s relatively easy for the Europeans to build an American-style dirt course, but there’s no way we can duplicate their courses” -- which are undulating and often idiosyncratic. “There’s no way we can compete.”

Europeans may not only snatch away the sport’s biggest financial prizes from American owners who are hard-pressed already, but in the process they will tarnish the image of the sport in this country. It is tough enough for this sport to establish stars who generate public excitement -- and it will be even tougher when Europeans ship in, devastate the Americans and ship out. Arazi is already demonstrating the effects of this process.

By routing the best American colts in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Arazi drained the importance from virtually all of the 3-year-old prep races that normally command widespread interest. Who could get excited about the Florida Derby or the Wood Memorial when there was no way the outcome could affect Arazi’s status as the standout Kentucky Derby favorite?

And if Arazi goes home after the Derby, skipping the remainder of the Triple Crown, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes are going to be the hollowest of attractions. Arazi -- like the other European runners who triumph here -- will be not only an international star but a nettlesome reminder of American racehorses’ inferiority.