Non runners

[Playschool]

The last couple of seasons has seen a massive increase in the number of horses declared N/R in the morning. I dare say that the self-certification by trainers has something to do it or too many races to choose from but I find it very annoying after spending hours looking for selections only to discover that the selection is now a N/R or other N/Rs in the race has made the bet fairly worthless and lacking in value.
Am I the only one who find this rather annoying?

[Slowly Away]

Yeah, it’s damn annoying……I had an EW fancy in the 8 runner listed race for 2yo at Sandown today. Inevitably there’s a NR and now only 2 places have put me off the EW wager

I think trainers are far too precious about the going……OK if they declare on good to firm and it comes up heavy then it’s understandable. But you get the impression that they try and dazzle owners with their expertise on a horse’s going preference and layer BS upon BS about the pedigree and the sire preference etc…….you can almost hear them telling some industrialist from Burnley that their horse is by Blotto out of a Bingo mare and needs good to firm (good in places) and no way can he run on good to firm (good in places)……better pull him out and wait for a more suitable opportunity, Trust me, I’m an expert. Bill in the post.

[Playschool]

I agree about good/firm becoming soft on the morning of the race but that doesn’t happen too often, imo. Persoanlly, I think there are too many races on a Saturday and trainers are using the self-certification to excess. Last weekend we ended up 2 + 4 runner races while all the time owners/trainers complain about the lack of prize money. It’s no coincidence that meeting like Royal Ascot & Glorious Goodwood & the Derby meetings have very few N/R. Or am I just being too cynical?

[phil walker]

I posted a similar article a few months ago with similar frustration. As I type this seeing the 8.10 at Newbury there are 3 non-runners and can’t believe they are all ground or injury related, totally ridiculous.

[robnorth]

Phil

I’m down visiting Mum and was on course at Newbury. I didn’t hear any announcements and didn’t realise we were down to 3 until a few minuted before the start.

Reasons given in the Stewards Report:

SONNETATION- Vets Cert (stiff) – Fine Waived
OUR QUEENIE – Going (not changed since declaration but
horse on course and ID checked by VO) – Fine Waived
SPIRITUAL ACCLAIM – Going (not changed since declaration and
horse not on course for ID check) – Fine Imposed

Make of that what you will.

Ground was quick but watered and certainly didn’t look a risk.

Rob

[phil walker]

Thanks Rob. I wonder how much the fine was I presume not enough. I can understand a non runner because of a going change (there will presumably be a lot over the weekend at Ascot because of the forecast heavy rain) but when you declare on good to firm and that’s the going on the day its just strange.

[% MAN]

I’m a bit confused here. A lot of horses mentioned above were never entered in the first place.

How can you be a non runner when you don’t submit an initial entry at the 45 minute stage?

[robnorth]

% MAN wrote:

I’m a bit confused here. A lot of horses mentioned above were never entered in the first place.

How can you be a non runner when you don’t submit an initial entry at the 45 minute stage?

I fear a wind up here, but the initial entry stage is 5 days before the race and for the flat the final declaration is at 48 hours. All three horses mentioned were declared at the 48 hour stage but declared non-runners on race day.

I believe that any horse pulled out within the 45 minute limit before the race is treated as ‘withdrawn’ rather than a non-runner.

A 45 minute declarations applies to point-to-points, but they have an initial entry stage.

Rob

[apracing]

The Newbury race is an interesting demonstration of the mess racing creates for itself by trying to ensure that we never have to watch a three runner race. On Tuesday morning, when the final 48hr declarations were made for this race, at the 10 am deadline only three runners were declared. Under the regaulations introduced to avoid small fields, the race is then re-opened. That means the trainers of all the other horses entered, but not declared to run, are contacted and asked if they wish to change their mind.

In this case, three more trainers said yes, OK, they would declare to run. There’s no cost to them or the owner at that point as the entry fee has already been paid. But they only have a 30 minute window in which to make that decision and what they are really saying is that they’ll have a look later when they have more time and then decide if they actually want to run, hoping that nobody else will have made that choice, so they can turn up guaranteed to collect some prize money.

In effect, they are giving themselves the option to see what else is running and then choose between one or more races. In this case, Sonnetation actually ran on Wednesday evening at Sandown and Spirited Acclaim will run at Newmarket this evening. Our Queenie appears to be a genuine case of a filly that avoids good to firm.

In the case of Spirited Acclaim, I believe the standard fine is £130, but by keeping the filly at home, the trainer has avoided the costs of transport from Newmarket (certainly £100+) and also the jockeys riding fee. He couldn’t use a self cert with a bland excuse like ‘bruised foot’ since that would mean he couldn’t run this evening as a self cert means a six day ban on further runs.

For Our Queenie, taking her to the Newbury and then saying non runner due to the ground involves little or no cost as the trainer is local and would have had other horses being driven to the meeting anyway.

So we have three non runners, none of which declared to run in the first place, were willing to have a look at the race once they knew it was a small field, but eventually opted to stick to their original decision – and two of them have had no problem finding an alternative race this week.

I’d say in all three cases, the trainer is just trying to do his best for the horse and her owners, which is what he’s paid to do. I started a thread on here several years ago (if we had a working search engine I’d cross reference it) which highlighted the fact that horses declared after races had been re-opened were almost always non runners.

[Playschool]

Thanks for that explanation, apracing, and I do understand in these instances about horses being withdrawn and accept that trainers must do their best to look after the horse & their owner’s best interests but it still us, the punters, who are left guessing as to whether or not we should select a particular horse, back it to win or e/w or leave the race alone when they’re 8/9 + 16/17 runners declared the night before.
I spend a good couple of hours plus the night before selecting my bets fro the next day and place my bets before going to bed and look forward to watching the races I have an interest in the afternoon only to find that I have 2 or 3 N/Rs or other horses taken out with reformed markets, rule 4s etc, etc. I don’t remember racing have such a huge spate of N/Rs before the self-certification rules came in.

[yeats]

phil walker wrote:

Thanks Rob. I wonder how much the fine was I presume not enough. I can understand a non runner because of a going change (there will presumably be a lot over the weekend at Ascot because of the forecast heavy rain) but when you declare on good to firm and that’s the going on the day its just strange.

You do not run the horse though the day you declare. Because you declare when it is good to firm doesn’t mean only good to firm horses should be declared. Connections have to be weather forecasters over 2 days in advance, some may want rain, others may not.

48 hour decs have a lot to answer for, just how much must British racing be losing from punters backing all the non runners? And so little concern from Rust & Co, they just don’t seem interested in doing anything about it.

[Author]

Posts