Anyone who states barrier position are not important knows very little about horses. Barrier position can be crucial to the running style of the horse. Put a good leader in the outside barrier and on most tracks at most distances and you can forget he is going around. Put a good back-marker in barrier 1 and you can forget he is going around. Put him in the outside barrier and you will see a different ball game.

Ice Chariot was a very good example of how easy it was for a good back-marker to win and overturn his crappy performances previously [inside barriers] to his 2 big group wins at the Brisbane carnival from barrier 17 in both events.

The problem for most punters is they wouldn't have a clue as to the running style of the horses in a race they are betting on and so say 'oh barrier positions aren't important or otherwise, inside barrier 9 is good'. Track layout, distance, Jockey ability AND barrier position are all vitally important info, to those who don't like to bet blind [or blinkered].

Find a race with a good horse who is a leader in an inside barrier with no other leaders in the race and you have a horse who controls the race and is money for jam. Find a good back-marker in an outsidish barrier in a race with more than 1 leader to set up a bit of a good pace and you also have money for jam.

I really should do an article here about horse's running styles and how important barriers are. Well overdue I think. Kingston Town was one of the very few horses who could be a leader, an on-pacer, a mid-pacer or a back-marker and win from any barrier taking up the running style the barrier suited.

Not too many Kingston Towns around nowadays so it's worth taking note of a horse's running style and what barrier it's in.