Novice Chasers 2017/2018

Looks like a straightforward enough task for Capitaine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The 7.50 at Roscommom tonight could be informative with Townsend, Potters Point, Peregrine Run and a couple from O'Brien/JP all going
 
and at the prices will take a chance on Peregrine Run at 15/2 getting weight from Townsend. Landofhopeandglory must also have decent chance off only 10-3, but's short enough at 9/4
 
Hot enough little event, I reckon, and LOHAG will need to be pretty-handy, to be beating this lot 20L hard-held. There's not a great deal in it on hurdles marks, and it's a fair-enough test, for a maiden-outing over fences.
 
Last edited:
Peace and Co out again Sunday in the Southwell 2.20 but only a four runner race, has to give 7lbs to the others.
 
Graham Dench in RP

The BHA has announced a raft of changes to the novice chase programme which will come into effect on October 1.

Novice chases have long been regarded as jumps racing's most troubled division, and many attempts have been made at increasing field sizes and betting revenue while at the same time providing a fair and appealing programme for connections of horses of widely differing levels of ability.
Among the latest changes will be a trial which will exempt horses finishing in close proximity to higher-rated winners in weight-for-age novice chases from having their ratings raised in all but the top races, prompted by a preconception that is refuted by handicappers but has compromised novice chase field sizes for years.
Also announced is the introduction of a new £100,000 novice handicap chase final in the spring and the raising of the ratings band from 0-140 to 0-145 for the Cheltenham Festival race run this year as the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase in a bid to encourage the running of novices more frequently in an effort to attain the necessary higher rating.


There will also be a significant increase in the number of weight-for-age novices, at the expense of novice handicaps, and six races are being introduced this autumn confined to horses who have won no more than one hurdle.
Explaining the background to the latest changes, BHA head of racing Paul Johnson said: "In order to safeguard the future of the category action must be taken to ensure that these races provide a competitive and compelling spectacle on a more consistent basis and that there is an incentive for horses to be sent over the larger obstacles.
"We have made several alterations to the programme in recent years. While these changes have contributed to marginal improvements in the number of horses going novice chasing, average field sizes, and the number of races attracting eight or more runners, it was agreed that more needs to be done.
"Continued focus and improvement of this part of the programme is viewed as necessary for the long-term health of the category and the sport."

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

  • No handicap rating increase in weight-for-age novice chases of Class 2 and below, other than for the winner. This will apply only to horses who have already made four appearances over obstacles (hurdles or fences) and be introduced on a trial basis.
  • An increase of up to 25% in the current programme of 200 weight-for-age novices, to be balanced by a decrease in number of novices’ handicaps.
  • Programming of six confined races during the autumn for horses which have not won more than one race over hurdles, a proposal aimed at providing a pathway for later-maturing chasing types.
  • Rating band for Cheltenham's Listed novices’ handicap chase to be increased to 0-145 (from 0-140). Increasing the banding was considered key to the success of the new system, with horses rated 146 and above more than capable of holding their own in Graded company.
  • A new £100,000 novices’ handicap chase series final to be programmed in the spring, supported by the BHA development fund. Horses must have run in at least two weight-for-age novices’ or beginners’ chases.
 
Agreed - it's a start, though still think the Programme below the top-level, would benefit from a much-more creative approach.

Series/Finals is one way of going about it. Something along the lines of a localised/regional Series, valuable localised/regional Final, and a very-valuable National final (at, say, the Whitbread meeting), would be one way forward. In this world, a minimum number of Series runs, would be a stipulation for qualification for a local Final (e.g. must run in three Series races, winning at least one), and I'd probably be looking at a penalty-scheme, rather than handicap-marks, to determine weights in those Finals. And I'd have local/regional Silver Cup/Consolation Final races too, for horses who have met the minimum-run criteria, but didn't win one of the Series races.

Obviously would need a lot of development, and I'm just throwing some ideas around, but it wouldn't take a great deal of hard-thinking, to pull something like this together, I reckon.
 
Back
Top