17th May 2005, 03:28 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 156
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by jfc
Not quite correct.
It is in the handicapper's interest to err on the side of leniency when weighting better runners.
That can easily be seen where in handicaps TAB# n outperforms n+(1..23) in terms of fair share of wins.
However ability at the distance and fitness presumably are not factors in the handicapping equation.
After Makybe Diva's 2003 Melbourne Cup win, she resumed as a 59.5 kg topweight at 16/1 in an unsuitable 8 runner 1400m race, to finish 5th by 10 lengths.
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Dear jfc,
As I understand it, and it was explained to me by someone who should know, handicappers are restricted by a scale of weights approved by the ruling body so they may err on the side of leniency but are restricted in what they can do.. The process, as I understand it, is to allocate weights according to this scale then compress them to fit racing rules. Given that they have to work to .5kg increments it's hard for them to truly allocate weights according to performance. Also they can only allocate weight on DISPLAYED performance and not on expected improvement or decline.
Thank you for your comments on my previous posts, all information is greatly
appreciated....
Regards
Oz Punter
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