Hi, Breadman.

I agree - barriers can be very important, especially in sprint races where the horse is not a fast beginner. I've seen some good horses beaten, because of a bad draw, even with a superior jockey. When it comes to barriers, luck can often be a major factor. However, as a trade-off, the dividends generally seem to compensate for the disadvantage. In my system, I disregard barriers as testing showed it not to be an excluding factor. I would assume Unitab and Tabltd consider the barrier draw when calculating their ratings, so I disregard barriers. But maybe, it might prove to be worthwhile???

Country horses progressing to metropolitan tracks can often be outclassed, especially at Saturday meetings. But sometimes they do win, more so at mid-week meetings. For example - Race2 no.4 at Sandown today. And its barrier draw was 3. My other selection failed badly, but I did hear it was examined by a vet prior to the race, which normally is not a good sign. Yesterday's (Tuesday) selection was not a genuine selection as it did not have two starts this campaign - my apologies!

Hopefully you did back Melb R6 no.1, as it paid $2.10 to place.


Michael.