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Amongst all the other excitement at Newton Abbot on Monday, one very interesting, possibly landmark result has gone relatively unheralded.
Chestnut Ben sluiced through the deteriorating conditions at the Devon track less slowly than his rivals, with a dive at the last flight not proving enough to forfeit him his winning chance.
That he won from 25lb out of the handicap possibly isn’t that exceptional, as that’s been done before in better races than an Abbot 0-90, and a racing weight of 9st 9lb (inclusive of David Bass’s claim) would have been very welcome given the way the going turned.
What is noteworthy, however, is that in being 25lb "wrong", Chestnut Ben had to race off a mark of 63, compared to his actual, eye-watering rating of just 38.
In the 20 years since the new ratings scale was introduced for jumps racing (start of the 1989-90 season), I have never seen a horse rated as low as that winning a hurdle. Indeed, I can only think of two I’ve seen that were rated lower than that, ever (the 28-rated Cedar Falls and the 35-rated Crestina Crossett), neither of whom ever got close to obliging.
Does anyone know any different?
Chase-wise, the only steeplechaser I recall having managed even a place finish whilst rated in the 30s is the 37-rated Reliance Leader finishing third at Fontwell once (again from a mile out of the weights), and I’m pretty sure Lambrini Mist’s win off 48 (plus 12lb) at Kelso in 2006 is the lowest mark to be carried to victory over fences under the present model. Again, anyone able to confirm?
Cheers,
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Can’t help you with the hedgehoppers, but Quakeress won a Wolverhampton seller for John Claude de Pomeroy Berry when she was rated a princely 16.
Interestingly Quakeress produced a mare called Come on Molly who perhaps unsurprisngly was unable to beat another horse on her 3 trips to the racecourse.
Sorry but I cannot provide any answers. Thought I would just add that I find this a really interesting thread and good responses too
Perhaps more remarkably, Chestnut Ben has two lower rated stable companions – both Queenstown Lad and Cedar Falls are blessed with a mark of 28.
Their trainer, Gary Brown, another nurtured by the late John Manners, resides in the same village as my own trainer Pat Murphy. His landlord can often be seen riding out for Mr Brown, which only goes to show that the quality of the work rider has little impact on improving the horses – the landlord in question is A P McCoy.
AP
I’d asked the same question elsewhere and was certain that if anyone knew it’d be Grays.
If it’s got him & AP stumped we are in trouble!!Being Browns’ landlord would explain why the other AP rode (and won on) Mhilu for him a couple of times during the summer.
Wonder if it is Anthony Tory the former jockey who owned that horse prior to him being claimed by Tim Vaughan.I’m pretty sure Lambrini Mist’s win off 48 (plus 12lb) at Kelso in 2006 is the lowest mark to be carried to victory over fences under the present model. Again, anyone able to confirm?
Recall some lowly-rated beast winning a dismal chase at Fontwell in the recent past, though can’t remember the name, so it may be worth checking results at that track
Drone,
Would that be the dire contest won by Gaining Ground off 59 – he was officially rated 56 and ran from 3lbs out of the handicap.
Although ‘ran’ is purely a relative term ….
AP
That’s the one. Had an idea it was 40s not 50s
Another handicap chase debutant punted from a think-of-a-number mark, having produced virtually no rateable Rules form
Anyone know if the NH handicappers a) have access to Points form, and b) consider it when asked to rate a horse of the Gaining Ground type
That’s the one. Had an idea it was 40s not 50s
Another handicap chase debutant punted from a think-of-a-number mark, having produced virtually no rateable Rules form
Anyone know if the NH handicappers a) have access to Points form, and b) consider it when asked to rate a horse of the Gaining Ground type
They’d have to Drone, there are actually two handicap hunter chases during the season at Newton Abbot and that end of season Aintree evening fixture. A new innovation that is not universally popular among the fraternity as it is seen as a bit pointless(if you will pardon the pun)as some areas are stronger than others and you could easily run up a sequence in one of the weaker areas like the South East for instance with a decent type. Incidentally before the South East brigade get on to me. I love the racing in the South East especially at Charing, Detling, Godstone and Penshurst which have great atmosphere, are well run and are picturesque. Worth noting the dates when the pointing fixtures come out.
Thanks Bbobb
No idea what the conditions are for those races but I’d surmise they’re handicapped on Rules Hunter form accrued over the previous season(s)
Whatever, I’m sure the NH handicapper who drew the short straw and is charged with the task relishes the challenge!
Was the Aintree race new this year? I was only aware of the one at Newton Abbot
Can’t help you with the hedgehoppers, but Quakeress won a Wolverhampton seller for John Claude de Pomeroy Berry when she was rated a princely 16.
I used Quakeress as the third selection to land a Tote Trio at Bath on her debut over 5f in 1997. I marked her down as a future winner, though didn’t quite reckon it would be three years later over nearly two miles!
Rob
No idea what the conditions are for those races but I’d surmise they’re handicapped on Rules Hunter form accrued over the previous season(s)
Correct – more recent pointing exploits have no bearing on the marks allocated. Last season’s
Point-to-Point and Hunter Chase Race Planner
confirmed that entries for both the Newton Abbot and Aintree races in May 2010 must have run in three hunter chases after January 1st 2009. For those runners without ORs hitherto, they’d get them on the basis of those runs. For those runners with ORs already, they’d continue to have them tweaked in accordance with their endeavours in those runs.
Was the Aintree race new this year? I was only aware of the one at Newton Abbot
Nope, it’s three years into its existence. The 2008 renewal was won by Harlov en route to landing the erstwhile Horse & Hound at Stratford, both victories gained courtesy of sumptuous rides by the then still-amateur Rhys Flint.
Harlov’s nearest pursuer in the Aintree event, Holly Walk, went one better in 2009 – a first Rules win at the 42th attempt and possibly not the race Queeniebobs had in mind for the mare when breeding her eight years earlier.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Thanks GC
By gum, Harlov. How on earth did that I forget that. Senility rules O…er
Backed him several times
A grand if difficult Green northern plodder who won a few when asked to race off ~=<105
Following interrogation of the BHA ratings website, the current lo-score table (can’t really call it a hi-score table, I suppose!) of worst-rated hurdlers comprises;
CEDAR FALLS (Gary Brown)…….. 28
QUEENSTOWN LAD (Gary Brown)….. 28
HEROIC LAD (Andy Haynes)…….. 35
CHESTNUT BEN (Gary Brown)……. 38
SUPPLEMENTARY (John Coombe)….. 40
BEHEST (Robin Mathew)……….. 46(48 and upwards the remainder).
Oh go on, then, here’s the current standings for low-rated chasers as well;
LUSENTO (Micky Hammond)……… 41
MR PARSON (Simon T Lewis)……. 45
MARADO (Simon T Lewis)………. 46
MYSTIC KING (Ted Bennett)……. 48
ONE STEP CLOSER (Linda Jewell).. 48
ELLANDSHE (Willie Young)…….. 50Lucy Normile’s heroically ordinary Turbulent Flight was vying for top spot the last I saw of her just over a year ago, but she appears not to be rated over hurdles, fences or anything now. Has she been retired?
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
On a similar theme, it will be fascinating to see how Pendragon gets on if sent over hurdles again. A winner on the Flat this year off 81, he was last seen over hurdles when pulled up in a novice handicap hurdle at Sedgefield off 64.
You’d fancy a 64 rated Flat horse to be well handicapped over hurdles off 81, never mind the other way round!
Wouldn’t we just. Just imagine what sort of price he could get sent off in his next 0-90 handicap hurdle expedition if he goes and wins the Cambridgeshire before that!
Incidentally, David, now I’ve knocked up a handy list of low-graders there, which of those named are the Ipso Facto Syndicate going to claim next?
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
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