What is the National Hunt Festival called these days? Can you point to one piece of promotional literature which references the National Hunt Festival?
There isn't any big announcement that I can point you to that says "National Hunt racing is now to be referred to as Steeplechasing", but there was a decision made when foxhunting was banned to distance the sport from its roots, and one of the methods used is to sideline the name "National Hunt". Have a look through the BHA website and tell me how many times the sport is referred to as "jump racing" and how many times they talk about "National Hunt racing". In the entire rule book, the only mention of "National Hunt" is in reference to "national hunt flat races".
In France more jump races are won by Selle Francais than by TBs. There was a time when AQPS horses were being brought by British owners, and they were winning a lot of races, but since the Euro has increased in value you don't see it so much.
Don't think I ever claimed that they were purebred SF? Since they aren't purebred TBs, they are SF, and they'll be SF until the end of time - that's the way it works.
Really, the worst jumper in the field - how many times has he fallen? How many times has he Unseated Rider? Compared to say, Denman, for example?
:-)
Handicaps aren't weight-for-age.
Including me, but the WFA scale is intended to level the playing field, not gve one crop an advantage over another.
I don't think anyone would argue that Diamond Stripes or Lawyer Ron were the standout horses of the '03 crop (might have been a different story if Barbaro had been in the field). Certainly Curlin could only beat the horses who turned up, but those who turned up (at least as far as the older horses) weren't very good.
The reason that the WFA scales only gave Curlin a 5lb allowance is that the Breeders' Cup Classic is over 10 furlongs, while the Arc is over 12 - you get different WFAs for different distances.