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Not sure if it’s my imagination but UK cards seem to be dominated with handicaps—- sometimes all bar 2 or even 1 race is a handicap. For form analysis I prefer non-handicaps as it’s impossible to go through all the handicaps as well as the nons. This doesn’t apply to the festival meetings of course but the lower to middling range ones. Ireland by contrast usually has it about 50/50…….nearly every Irish jump meeting will have maiden hdles, beg chases, nov hdles, rated hdles etc. Same with their flat meetings, often maidens, rated races, Q.R. races and claimers.
Ireland wouldn’t have as many maidens if it wasn’t breeding horses to run a few times then sell to England.
Fair to say the whole fixture list in England could do with being started over + revamped.
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!Problem is in the UK there’s too much racing FULL STOP. Not enough horses to go around.
Therefore, if the UK were to have fewer handicaps and more maidens/novices etc, then the average number of runnes in them would be much fewer than in Ireland… It is in their nature that Maidens/novices are less competitive than handicaps at the best of times, smaller field maidens/novices would be even worse.Value Is EverythingGinger, point taken but quite a few punters prefer ‘less competitive smaller field maidens/novices’ — I know I certainly do and bookmakers don’t. And not all these races are won by the ‘obvious’ short priced hotpot as is commonly assumed.
Very true, Dahlia; “quite a few punters do prefer less competitive smaller field maidens/novices”. However, although I may personally wish differently… Because the vast majority do not like less competitive races – short priced favourites/market priciples – any increase in their numbers would mean less money wagered and as a direct result less money in the Levy/less prize money.
Value Is EverythingJudging by some of the 6 figure turnovers on Cl 5 or 6 novs/mdns on BF, I’m not totally sure of that. And Ireland seems to stage many lower grade non-h’caps with large fields, admittedly with only 26 race courses. Where I live I can’t access BF and trying to get a wager on with a bookmaker is almost as difficult as finding winners. Maybe the now defunct Horserace Totalisator Board should be replaced by an industry run betting exchange.
Hi Kev, it is the Galway Summer Festival and a terrific 7 day meeting………..only 4 handicaps today out of 7 and I’m pretty sure they’ll throw up some useful winners later in conds races, as will the other races as well.
I would happily see a big reduction in sprint handicaps but clearly there are enough horses to go round.
Some northern tracks seem to be totally dominated by these deeply dull lotteries.
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