MY CALL: FINDING A BETTER WAY TO ASSESS TRACK RATINGS IS FAST BECOMING A TOP PRIORITY
By David Fowler | Tuesday, June 21, 2016
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.
Does South-East Queensland TAB racing need a sole track walker cum rating assessor?
If the last two weeks of track rating/bias discussion is any indication, we certainly do.
An accurate track rating is pivotal to the punter, professional or hobby, preparing his form and betting strategies.
And an appraisal of where the faster or slow lanes are would be welcoming icing on the assessment cake.
Currently, track-based managers rate their course proper using the 1-10 system.
There are three potential problems with this methodology.
Firstly, does track manager A and track manager B make their assessments in the same way? Is their consistency?
Secondly, and this might be unpalatable to some, do they really know what they are assessing?
Thirdly, and sadly, this unnecessary 1-10 rating procedure has made a sometimes difficult task even harder.
Who can judge a soft 5 from a soft 6? Silly stuff in my book.
One assessor would certainly wipe out different interpretations.
And if this was an exclusive role, it would allow the assessor to travel to a track a couple of days before for an "early bird" appraisal.
Contention over track ratings and bias has consumed too much media space in recent weeks to ignore that it's not a hot topic.
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I get the feeling Racing Queensland's integrity arm has been "kidnapped" by the State Government.
The freshly minted Queensland Racing and Industry Commission begins on July 1, separated from Racing Queensland who concentrates on the commercial responsibilities of the industry.
Their forum last Friday highlighted clear shortcomings in the first round process of appeal.
Free appeals to a sole internal review controller will surely create a backlog considering its one person covering three codes.
Will this "controller" be accustomed to the rules of racing?
I'm led to believe this internal review process is quite a common practice in other government departments.
Racing is a peculiar beast.
Who has even been advising QRIC on the set-up process or have they gone it alone?
With a July 1 start-up, it won't take long to find out.
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If the grapevine is right, Dr Elliot Forbes will be an outstanding choice for the Racing Queensland CEO position.
A clever man at the right age, he presents the right form guide having run the three codes in Tasmania.
Even more significantly, his understanding of the animal and its welfare has been a shining light in his Tassie tenure.
This will be a fillip for the Sunshine State.
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I'm often accused of being the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary of the Damian Browne fan club.
Well, my dad Max deserves to share some of the roles but that's another story.
But I reckon a lack of "Ipswich match practice" cost him a riding treble on the weekend.
Browne is a once a year visitor to the BUNDAMBA track and might have waited too long to make his run on Outraged who was beaten by a pimple in the opener.
The track has a short straight between the 600m and 500m and this is often the point where the jocks get on their bikes and launch their finishing runs.
Brownie might remember that next time...in 12 months maybe?
Until next week
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