acceptances / noms I'm not sure how they work !

my horse was nominated for 29 Nov. sand in a MR 68 ( according to program of meetings NOV. ) printed INCORRECT on racecard as MR67 !

My horse Silver sp. on a 72 ONLY HORSE TO BE ELIMINATED by authorities ( NHRA I presume ) reason - ABOVE BENCHMARK !

my horse 4 points ABOVE benchmark, how can the powers that be allow horses to be accepted into this race with MR 52, 50 ?
Even MR 49 & 48 are reserves 1 & 2.

Mine gets taken OUT 4 - ABOVE - horses with 18 BELOW CAN RACE !

surely the aim of this race is to run horses with MR close to 68 as possible.................. those with 48,50, 52 find another race where your horse should be running......... or Kimberley if need be.

why do 2 x runners get in with MR 77 ? is it cause they 3.y.o. ? another month to feed, another disgruntled owner.

Hey Elvis, let's try and make some sense of this:

Firstly I can't find a reason why this race has been 'downgraded' to a MR 67 from a MR 68 - but as it turns out that is immaterial to whether SS got a run, or not:

In the 'Racing Operators Conditions', section 7 is titled 'Eliminations' and under this heading we find section section 7.2.4, which addresses 'Handicap Races':

For some reason only known to the powers that be, different rules apply to races for MR 68's and lower handicaps:

7.2.4 Handicap Races
7.2.4.1 From the lowest net merit rating upwards.
7.2.4.2 However, in MR 68 and less handicaps, where horses have
been allowed into the race above the benchmark rating, these
horses shall be eliminated downwards to the net benchmark
and then eliminations shall be from the lowest net merit rating
upwards

So it would seem that SS got eliminated according to the rules - but why a different rule applies to MR 68 and lower handicaps, is beyond me :S

68 is lucky number for NHRA

Frodo the only reason I can think this happening for a MR68 and lower is that horses on the 48-52 range would not have too many races available to them whereas a 72 horse could run in any race from a 69 to probably a 90. My guess it is a case of giving the lower rated horses a chance to run. On the other side horses with ratings below 50 on Sand should maybe look at running in Kimberly, weather permitting.

Elvis we are running Danger Point in the same race I was disappointed when Silver Specialist was eliminated as our horses would have been drawn next to each other. We are fortunate that he enjoys both surfaces.

thanks Frodo, & how do those 2 with a MR 77 stay in ?

Those 2 are 3 yr olds - so WFA allowance of 8kgs (16 points) apply - so effectively they are are only 61's ......

got it now..... everything is crystal clear........ but i'm not a happy chappy !