MR Appeal Over Turned

I would be most upset if my horse received a higher rating as a consequence of choosing another line horse just to suit Mr de Kock.


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But if one owner/trainer wanted just their horse raised, I say, let them raise it.
Let him run in races he may or may not belong in.

If a trainer wants his horse to run in traces where he really doesn't being, let them suffer the consequences. It's only the connections who will be out money. .......and the punters but who readout cares about us anyway.

Thanks for the explanation JV. I'm not a fan but your explanation is well founded.

Jurgs wrote: Frodo contrary to popular opinion, as much as I dislike the MR system, I understand the logic behind it. The problem as highlighted earlier, is opinions cause huge swings in the ratings as is shown is this example. So the opinion of what the line horse should be affects the ratings by massive numbers. Clearly this is something that needs to be addressed.

One suggestion that I would make in situations like this - let the handicappers allow the connections to take a different line horse and allow them to accept the higher rating. This higher rating would need to be kept for a period of time regardless of what subsequent form indicates. So if MdK got his way and the horse ran a poor race in the Dingaans, then that horse would have to live with the elevated rating for a period of time after the Dingaans.

Not ideal, but certainly better than the current scenario imvho

RF no hassle here boet and you put the lights out on the 2nd and 3rd in the next MP :0

Jurgs I get what you are saying but disagree that it is practical or could work. In this horse of MdK's case what I think you are saying is if they prepared to take the higher MR to ensure the horse qualifies for the Dingaans, then that rating will be enforced for a certain period as "punishment". Imagine being the owners of the 1st reserve that is there on "merit", excuse the pun. Also what happens to the horses behind it in the maiden run? If it indeed runs to a significantly higher rating in the Dingaans? All this will do is expose the flaws in the system even more.

When Manitoba won his maiden over the same cd as Pietro Mascagni he was raised from a 76 to an 85 and on that occasion King Of Delta was beaten 5,25 lengths

Also Vanatu ran to both Boatswain and Pietro Mascagni and was 1,25 further away to Boatswain who remained a gross 90

Came across this piece on the 1989 July....


At Greyville on a sodden racecourse Terrance Millard picked his fifth plum of the South African Turf with a horse who, prior to the race, enjoyed a rating no better than a B division performer.

In fact, had three-year-old Right Prerogative not won a slow-run Natal Derby at his previous start, it is on the cards that he would not have made the final line-up for the R500 000 Gr 1 Rothmans July. Prior to the Clairwood Park Classic, Right Prerogative had a race-figure of 40 and, allowing for an increase of 9 for his 1¼ length victory, he was very much under sufferance with his allotted 49kg in the July.

In his penultimate start in the Cape before being sent to Natal for the winter season, Right Prerogative was beaten out of the placings in a C division event at Kenilworth. Hardly the form expected of a potential Rothmans July winner.

When the weights for the Rothmans July were published in early May, Right Prerogatives name was 53rd on a list of 56 possible candidates and 12th of 14 bottomweights handicapped at 49kg. At final acceptance eliminations were necessary to reduce the eventual field to the maximum 18 runners and, thanks to the Natal Derby, Right Prerogative made the cut at the expense of, among others, Dawson Trail, who must be considered most unfortunate not to have got a run. Like Right Prerogative at the time a 4-time winner, he had after all won the R100 000 Natal Breeders Stakes and Natal Guineas and been second in both the Gr 1 Cape of Good Hope Derby and Gr 1 Daily News 2 000 with Right Prerogative behind him in these two Gr 1 events. Dawson Trail did not contest the Natal Derby.

Wasn't there a mention of an appeal against the outcome? anyone hear any news on that?

PeeKay wrote: Wasn't there a mention of an appeal against the outcome? anyone hear any news on that?

The horse made the field of the Dingaans so I doubt that the appeal would be continued.

Can someone please post the race which this horse won? I must have missed that race

A closer look at the subsequent performances of Star of Joh'burg and Square the Circle would point to the panel being correct - even perhaps a little lenient - in allocating Pietro 79 ?

Star of Joh'burg ran to around 70 when winning his maiden

Square the Circle ran to around 76 on Saturday (using Schipper as a line horse)

So no convincing evidence (yet) that Pietro is an 89 ?

Frodo wrote: A closer look at the subsequent performances of Star of Joh'burg and Square the Circle would point to the panel being correct - even perhaps a little lenient - in allocating Pietro 79 ?

Star of Joh'burg ran to around 70 when winning his maiden

Square the Circle ran to around 76 on Saturday (using Schipper as a line horse)

So no convincing evidence (yet) that Pietro is an 89 ?

Star of Joburg overcame a massive bias when winning from the outside while everything was running from the inside. All of Square the Circle, Pietro and Big Bear ran way below par on Sunday- maybe they didn't take to the going....

Maybe .... but imo there is no EVIDENCE to suggest that Pietro ran to higher than around 77 :ohmy:

The horse was very badly interfered with in the Dingaans