Re the strike rate of favourites. For what it's worth, Felicity wrote in this forum in 2004:

From 1/8/91 to 31/7/01. All going, all fields, all trax. Dist. LESS THAN 1200 m.

61,402 Sole faves.
23,072 Wins (37.6%)
43,919 places (71.5%)