Once again quality research presented in a most professional manner by all.

I don't mean to be pedantic but the notion of 'Class' got a thorough going over.

Correct me please, but is it not the fact that modern handicappers have relegated 'Class' secondary to the notion of 'Field Stength'. A cursory glance at the Wizard reveals the two are not the same thing.

Indeed, in 'Picking Winners' Part 8, Malcolm Knowles states, "The Field Strength provides an alternative and more accurate way of looking at CLASS change. A change in race class, per se, DOES NOT not give any indication of the difficulty posed. Previous wisdom assumed that a runner going up in class automatically faced a harder task. .....it is not the change in CLASS that needs to be considered, it is the change in RACE QUALITY that needs to be considered."