How trainers use ratings - or don't

krizon

krizon

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An interesting subject just cropped up on Atacanta via jinny/j and Desert Orchird (late of TH) discussing the use, or lack of use, of ratings by trainers when considering where to run their horses. J/j says she wouldn't use them, let alone work them out; DO wonders how trainers could place their horses without working with them.

I've never actually asked a trainer if he uses ratings when thinking of where to run his horses, since any time you discuss them, it's about which type of course best suits the way they need to race, their action, the going, and almost any other issue bar ratings. The only time I hear them mention ratings is when it looks like a race might divide because of too many evenly-rated nags being entered up for just one race, or when they've got a poor animal on their hands and are struggling to find a low-rated race that they can actually get in.

So, any thoughts/knowledge on this, folks?
 
Many decent handicap ratings are destroyed chasing black type or running well handicapped horses in conditions races. All trainers are absolutely aware of them, to the more astute they are their BIBLE!
 
Paul Webber's hurdles campaigning of Australia Day early on is a perfect example of what happens when you don't bother looking at the handicap rating.
 
I was trying to be kind Kri - the horse was rated 113 over hurdles, on his flat form a perfectly workable handicap mark. His next start he won a Maiden Hurdle worth £2,000 by 30+ lengths and was raised 22lbs for that win - could have won 3 or 4 handicaps and probably four times the prize money in handicaps rather than one Maiden Hurdle and being forced to contest a Listed Novices next time out.
 
krizon said:
An interesting subject just cropped up on Atacanta via jinny/j and Desert Orchird (late of TH) discussing the use, or lack of use, of ratings by trainers when considering where to run their horses. J/j says she wouldn't use them, let alone work them out; DO wonders how trainers could place their horses without working with them.

I've never actually asked a trainer if he uses ratings when thinking of where to run his horses, since any time you discuss them, it's about which type of course best suits the way they need to race, their action, the going, and almost any other issue bar ratings. The only time I hear them mention ratings is when it looks like a race might divide because of too many evenly-rated nags being entered up for just one race, or when they've got a poor animal on their hands and are struggling to find a low-rated race that they can actually get in.

So, any thoughts/knowledge on this, folks?
Click to expand...

I didn't say I didn't use them - I just meant I didn't have time to compile my own!!!!!!!! (And certainly not just to have a bet!) Most trainers should have a pretty good idea of the calibre of an individual horse (although there are always horses that improve/don't reach their potential). I am sure that plenty of larger trainers have office staff who are soley responsible for their own ratings system. But equally a large number rely on the handicappers assessment and they will place their horses accordlingly.
 
Will they really have their own in-house compilers, j/j? Are you looking for the same thing - punters and trainers - when using ratings? How could you steal a race using them?
 
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