MY CALL - TRACK RATING NUMBER SYSTEM DOESN'T ALWAYS ADD UP
By David Fowler | Tuesday, July 10, 2012
David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.
Is the track rating number system more drama than it's worth?
This was considered revolutionary when it was introduced a few years ago.
Hardly!
All it did was divide each rating into a couple of numbers … dead 4 and dead 5 … better side of dead and worse side of dead.
Big deal!
The reason for the opening statement was that one of the major talking points at Eagle Farm on Saturday was whether the track should have been reassessed from a dead 5 to a dead 4.
Opinions varied (although my mail from the jockey’s room is it should never have been upgraded) which of course then cast judgement on the stewards panel's ability in their decision.
And how often do track managers earn a swipe when the track is reassessed from a slow 7 to slow 6 … "see they got it wrong" you hear so often.
Why not revert to the old days where we got a rating of heavy with a possible upgrade?
I can judge between slow and heavy. I'm not smart enough to judge between a slow 6 and a slow 7.
Can you?
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Track bias ... or perceived bias ... is another area that some get carried away with.
You'll hear the cry after the first couple of races … "the fence is off" or
"it's a leaders' track."
It's just plain stupidity to make such a rash judgement.
The result of most races is related to pace. If the leaders go slow, the backmarkers will find it difficult to win. If they fly in front, swoopers will dominate
It's not rocket science.
Where you might start to consider a bias is if a 20-1 chance rips along in the lead on the rail and keeps going to win.
And IF there is a "faster lane" you have to wait until about halfway through the
day to make a valued judgement.
The Doomben June 20 midweek meeting had a definite leader bias, established after a consistent pattern of racing during the day.
But too many times, "they" go off way too early with their bias rantings.
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I thought a pace bias might bring Adnocon undone in the Ascot.
When Audacious Spirit was pulled out before the jump it left The Sixties as a comfortable leader and when he was gifted the first 600m in 36.5, things looked tough.
But our fellow really sprinted impressively. Considering this race was not on his agenda, it was a bonus to say the least.
He'll now go to the Tatts Mile on Saturday week.
Ownership can be such a fun ride with friends and family.
My dad Max is Adnocon's biggest fan … without question … and it was great to see Kevin Conlan, Hadyn Flynn's son-in-law, and Kevin's son Aidan at the track to enjoy his exciting win.
Kevin and Aidan were planning to head home to Cairns after the State Of Origin thriller but threw the dice and elected to stay a few more days.
A great result for all.
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With the Winter Carnival closing off, it gives the opportunity for some of our promising apprentices to strut their stuff again on the Saturday stage.
Ryan Hurdle (Fire Up Fifi) and Anthony Allen (Divine City) turned in pearlers and Rosie Myers slayed them with a treble at last week's Doomben midweek.
Plenty of claiming talent to bet on in the coming weeks.
Until next week.
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