I've been researching this topic for a while with some very interesting, yet not enlightening results :wink:

I came across this....

Bookmakers are to rely on their own form assessments when framing a market (it is an offence to offer tote odds)

Quite a few offenders???

How can they enforce this, when the defence would simply be that the bookmaker assessed the race and the punters came up with the same assessment.
Been a long time since I've been to the track, but I know that many smaller bookmakers will adjust their opening odds if the tote contradicts their own opening assessment.

As NSW is introducing ratings based handicapping based on the performance of the horse at various tracks and meetings, surely what follows is that the topweight would now be the best horse in the race with the best recent form.
After each start a horse is allocated RBH (Ratings Based Handicapping) points based on it's performance at that track.
The points are then converted to weight, so the handicapper already knows the weight allocation at nomination time.

The RBH will be displayed in racebooks as well as weights release sheets and at the moment only cover classes 1 to 4 with Open Class to be phased in February 2004 and Classes 5 and 6 in December 2003.
Horses LOSE points for poor recent performances as well!

Quite obviously one could use these ratings to construct their own market as it is based on both Class and Recent Performance.

:smile:

Unfortunately one has to manually look these up all the time as they change from race to race but here is the link for those interested.

NSW RATINGS
http://www.racingnsw.com.au/ratings.asp?alpha=a


[ This Message was edited by: Chrome Prince on 2003-10-17 09:06 ]