Here’s a question for the great brains of the forum. What Flat handicap rating would you have allocated to the Mr Henderson trained Lieutenant Miller??? To date the old boy has had one run on the level, back at the beginning of the month, and that saw him win a ‘Conditions heat’ at Pontefract by a short-head from the John Gosden trained Zuider Zee (rated 108 at the time). In 3rd, 1.25 lengths adrift of the latter was Petaluma (then on a perch on 70) and just a neck behind him was former Cesarwitch winner, Godolphin’s Darley Sun (rated 100 when the stalls burst open). Three of the four ran off levels the exception being Petaluma who was in receipt of 17 pounds. Taking the form with the 2nd literally, I know taking form from Conditions races in such a way is often the quickest way to the poor house but bear with me, you would have to give Mr Henderson’s steed a mark of 108 or 109 and even if going on Darley Sun (who he beat approximately 1.5 lengths off levels) you would be looking at a figure of around 102 or 103. The official handicapper has though chosen to allocate Lieutenant Miller a perch of just 78! Cor blimey, I was so shocked when I discovered this I had to lie down for half an hour! Seemingly he has chosen to concentrate more on the 3rd home that day Petaluma and through this filly given Lieutenant Miller his mark. Interestingly, though Petaluma is the only one of the 4 protagonists to have run since Pontefract and she convincingly won a Bath handicap 8 days ago so the Ponty form appears more, and I do mean more, than sound. Even going through her though (after Bath) 78 appears somewhat lenient. Off this mark of 78 Lieutenant Miller is set to run at Newmarket on Friday afternoon in the ‘lucky last’ a 16 furlong handicap and old boy Tom Queally has already been booked by the forum’s favourite trainer. So then is this the ‘handicap snip’ of our age?!? Because if you take the Zuider Zee form literally then Lieutenant Miller is some 30/31 pounds well in.
It was a false race barney, 78 looks a fair enough mark, but forget 30 pounds, 3 or 4 at the very most.
