New MR' after 2 May 2021

Got the Green light up to 128 from 124
Second Base up to 125 from 116. Rated = with Malmoos now ???

Rio Querari 130 from 125 steep
Bohica 125 from 118 nuts

Netta 120 from 102. i shit u not
Saragon down from 104 to 103

Celestial Love 119 from 105
Sweet future 110 from 107

Rainbow Bridge stays 134
Catch22 123 from 116
Trip to africa 113 from 101

Captain ransom stays 126??
Princess calla stays 118
Freestate star 108 from 92

Linebacker 124 from 115
seeking the stars 121 from 117
Komet 120 from 117
Russian rock 119 from 114 ??? they seeing spooks that are not there yet.

Thanks Sylvester. This puts a new dimension on the July and the probable weights. I think Linebacker will be adjusted into out-right favourite now.

Second Base now rated the equivalent of Malmoos???

Where do they find these people its embarrassing :whistle:

Unfortunately with racing being Regional these ratings are gonna inconsistent.

They must be expecting good news on exports again with all these inflated MR

Perhaps PeterD/Frodo or any MR expert can assist me in figuring out how the handicappers got to the numbers that they did in the Champions Challenge on Saturday? I have not seen anything official but have read an article on Tabgold that states that Cirillo was used as the line but not on his Saturday run, rather his run in the Queens Plate. What? My first question is how can a horse be used as a line on a run outside of the race being rated? My second question is how can the handicappers be comfortable with Malmoos and Second base being on the same rating? Malmoos has won 7 races including 2 gr1, 2 Gr2 and a Gr3 while Second base has a solitary Gr3 to his credit. Malmoos and Second Base have competed at equal weights 4 times and Malmoos has beaten Second base in the 3 Triple Crown races by 2l, 2l and 5l with Saturdays race being the only occasion where Second Base triumped over a clearly under-performing Malmoos by 5,75l. Although this has nothing to do with handicapping, the monies earned clearly show Malmoos' superiority having earned R2 487 100 ( inc Triple Crown bonus ) against the R 731 150 of Second Base. To make matters worse Second Base received a 4 pound penalty for running close up to Malmoos in the Classic. From here forward, as it stands today, Second Base will carry the same weight as Malmoos in a handicap. How could this scenario have passed muster with the handicappers? Is there a person on this planet that can truly believe that these two horses are of identical ability? These reckless adjustments ruin horses earning potential and I would not be happy should I be Werners.

I have another viewpoint that I will share once I get some feedback.

Here is the article that I was refering to:

David Thiselton

GOT THE GREENLIGHT was given a significant four point raise for his cosy 4Racing Premier’s Champions Challenge win on Saturday and runner up Second Base shot up nine points to 125.

As things stood before Saturday Got The Greenlight would have had to carry 55kg in the Vodacom Durban July and Second Base the minimum weight for a three-year-old male of 53kg. Got The Greenlight now carries a significant 2kg more, 57kg, on the basis that Rainbow Bridge on 134 will be the highest merit rated runner, and Second Base 53.5kg.

The handicappers decided to use Cirillo as the line horse.

Cirillo ran off a 120 rating compared to Got The Greenlight’s 124 and the margin was 1.75 lengths.

However, the handicappers were of the opinion that Cirillo in a slow run race could not have run any worse than his L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate effort where he finished fifth and ran to a 123 rating.

Got The Greenlight was thus raised to 128 and Second Base, who beat Cirillo by a length, was given 125.

Summer Pudding was beaten 4,50 lengths into fourth and was lowered a couple of points to 127, meaning as things stand she will carry 56.5kg in the July.

I don't have the time now to try and justify these ridiculous ratings - someone must be smoking something :ohmy:

Remember Merit rating is the most crucial and significant foundation we have in our racing,so if the people doing this are getting it wrong it just becomes a joke doesn't it.

durbs wrote: Remember Merit rating is the most crucial and significant foundation we have in our racing,so if the people doing this are getting it wrong it just becomes a joke doesn't it.

Rob Faux done his own ratings ( so do others ) and he was probably the best judge in the country

Bob Brogan wrote:

durbs wrote: Remember Merit rating is the most crucial and significant foundation we have in our racing,so if the people doing this are getting it wrong it just becomes a joke doesn't it.

Rob Faux done his own ratings ( so do others ) and he was probably the best judge in the country

Sure but he isn't the official handicapper.
The official handicapper can make or break a horses career if they get it wrong and plenty here disagree with some of their ratings.

durbs wrote:

Bob Brogan wrote:

durbs wrote: Remember Merit rating is the most crucial and significant foundation we have in our racing,so if the people doing this are getting it wrong it just becomes a joke doesn't it.

Rob Faux done his own ratings ( so do others ) and he was probably the best judge in the country

Sure but he isn't the official handicapper.
The official handicapper can make or break a horses career if they get it wrong and plenty here disagree with some of their ratings.

I think ratings are subjective and relative. For me, the answer to the opinions being discussed here, are to avoid the horses one deems have been overly penalised. When it comes to the weights being carried in the race (on the day), it really doesn't matter what we think, because the horses are not going to carry the weights as we perceive the ratings to be.

I'm not going to put up lengthy arguments, other to say -

Using runners like Zarina, Miss Elegance and Caya Coco, Captain's Ransom ran to around 111 - not unlikely imo as I'm sure she would not have been prepped to the minute, for a small feature

For the colts; same applies ito not being not prepped to the minute, for me if one believes that Tread Swiftly ran to 112, then by all means take the 124 for Linebacker at face value :dry: