"Open to improvement now handicapping"

[Ron]

I often see this comment. What on earth does it mean? The horse can't actually improve as a result of going into a handicap. Does it mean maybe it has been running to get a low handicap mark so we can reasonably expect it to place higher than the bare form indicates? In other words is it saying the trainer has been working the system? And does that imply that some do and some don't; because it isn't said about all horses entering handicaps for the first time?

Any ideas what the comment implies?

 

[Chaninbar]

The trainer is renowned system player so now his/her horse has had the obligatory 3 runs to get a mark you can expect the handbrake to be taken off. Well that's my take on it anyway.

 

[Kodiac's Front]

I've*generally assumed it to mean "trainer more like targeting a lenient mark than todays prize money"

 

[Ron]

I've*generally assumed it to mean "trainer more like targeting a lenient mark than todays prize money"

That's a nice subtle(ish) way to put it

 

[rudebwoy]

surely they run them over the wrong trip , thereby concealing the horses true ability , prescott does this as a living , it's bending the rules , like all the top tories and their tax affairs .....

 

[Ron]

surely they run them over the wrong trip , thereby concealing the horses true ability , prescott does this as a living , it's bending the rules , like all the top tories and their tax affairs .....

Normally the comment would read something like "significantly up/down in trip" or "will be much better suited by the drop/increase in trip"

Maybe they should put a wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more symbol

 

[Fabulous Fabio]

This is the sort of thing we all know goes on in the game, personally I don't mind it. If the trainer is smart enough to play the system and find flaws in it then fair play to him/her. Some people will question whether its fair on punters, as we're basically saying some of these horses may be going out as non triers or some horses are coming and winning races that on form or ratings they had no right to win. Again, this is something I don't mind as for me its all part of trying to solve the puzzle of each race, you're going to get some right and you're going to be way off the mark with some

Anyone who is a keen listener/follower of Matt Chapman will have heard him discuss this sort of stuff loads in the last year or so. He says he quite likes knowing the sport isn't squeeky clean and may even add a bit of character to the game. I agree with him when he says that punters want everything spoon fed to them these days, that we demand every bit of information about every single horse. Prime example being that wind ops are now shown on racecards, some people won't be happy until its declared what each horse had for breakfast in the morning. Similar to the antepost markets, particularly for Cheltenham. Punters are demading to know which race horses are going for months in advance, the whole point of antepost is you take a price and take your chance.

 

[Ron]

In show jumping people are quite open and happy to say their horse is in this class purely for the experience, particularly with horses with longer term potential. (eg we are just looking for a clear round and have no intention of going for the time). Admitted, punters aren't backing in these classes but so what. It's a problem with the BHA having a rule that insists that all horses must run to the best of their ability. If they didn't have that rule, trainers could be more honest, if they so wished

 

[gazboy]

surely they run them over the wrong trip , thereby concealing the horses true ability , prescott does this as a living , it's bending the rules , like all the top tories and their tax affairs .....

Luv the dig

 

[stick]

surely they run them over the wrong trip , thereby concealing the horses true ability , prescott does this as a living , it's bending the rules , like all the top tories and their tax affairs .....

Is it like having a house in Derbyshire and an apartment in Westminster?

 

[rudebwoy]

Is it like having a house in Derbyshire and an apartment in Westminster?

not sure about that analogy ? are you referring to an mp ? most of the cabinet are multi millionaires who avoid tax through loopholes , strangely the eu is clamping down on these next year , self interest , mps , never !

 

[redcgull]

Like anything that is handicapped it will always be open to the term 'bandits' once you see a player/horse win an event where they would normally be nowhere near winning it under differing circumstances. I know some golfers who would struggle to play in the normal weekly comps off a 14-18 handicap but come the big cup 3/4 handicapped cup comps seem to play to a sub +10 handicapped golfer, win, then say they don't know where that came from... Equally, and I see this ever year in my local snooker leagues, some players would struggle off scratch in the league but enter the handicapped events and make semi's & finals nearly every year, stating that they just got lucky...

In my mind the handicapped system for horses is just a way of giving the lesser horses a chance of winning bigger races than they could actually achieve at their current standard, it's just finding that one that seems too good to be true in that race that it's got 'Bandit' written all over it...!!

Now, if you call that 'Open to improvement' or not, it's still a horse/player winning something that they couldn't do before, so that has to be an improvement in the end hasn't it...??

 

[stick]

Been following one recently that I think falls smack bang in this bracket. Now had its three runs without showing too much but the Timeform comment for its handicap debut reads "doesn't look particularly well treated". Up in trip so also a very good chance to excuse any significant improvement.

 

[Benvenuto Cellini]

Compared to everywhere else in the world we have barely any information. Very few sectionals, no weight information, about 1% of non triers are even questioned. Racing here is just a gravy train where a crook like betfair john gosden is held up as an example of honesty and mark prescott is knighted. Japan, hong kong and Australia are good examples for racing, america is corrupt and riddled with doping and non triers but they at least have better data and their big racing is a great product. Our racing is stuck in the dark ages really and what can you say about irish racing.