[Crock]

VDW certainly advised concentrating on the better class races (though plenty of examples were in better class races only relative to the rest of the card, not actual win prize money values), and that advice, to my mind, is as valid now as it was when given.

Hensman,
I agree wholeheartedly and as far as I can ascertain those same races usually hold their same position in the hierarchy of the card.

[Crock]

And still the debate rages, pausing only for the occasional change of home

A warm hello to some old friends and hopefully some new ones.

Hensman,

Apologies if the discussion has now moved on, I did pen this reply a week or so ago but it took Cormack a few days to approve my membership.

You stated in some earlier posts that you felt increased sponsorship of the big handicaps etc had rendered prize money a less useful guide to class than in VDW’s heyday (apologies if I’m paraphrasing you wrongly).

I wonder on what evidence you are basing this assumption.

Last weeks Cambridgeshire will bring to mind Mr Hall’s selection of Baronet back in 1978. It’s interesting to compare the respective race values:

In 1978 The Cambridgeshire was worth £18,000, last week’s renewal was worth £99,000 and it’s value has thus risen by a factor of approximately 5.5 in the intervening years. On the same card is a ‘bog standard’ Nursery Handicap. In 1978 this Nursery was worth £,2847 and is now worth £18,696, a factor of 6.5 which is actually more than the ‘big’ handicap. The same cards also gives us the Sun Chariot Stakes which has risen even further from £13,000 to £105,000, a factor of 8 although this can be explained largely by it’s rise from Group 2 to Group 1 status in the intervening years otherwise I think you would have seen a much closer correllation.

The previous week gave us the Ayr Gold Cup as the ‘big’ handicap. In 1978 it was worth £15,276 and today £75,407 (a factor of approx 5.0). That same meeting gives us the The Firth of Clyde Stakes which has risen from £5,241 to £34,068 a factor of 6.5 and again slightly higher than the ‘big’ handicap.

The previous week we had the St Leger meeting. The Leger has risen from £50,630 to £303,914 (a factor of 6.0) whilst the same meetings Doncaster Cup has risen from £10,229 to £56,780 (a factor of 5.6).

In fact everywhere I look there seems to be some consistency in the good class races within a fairly narrow band 5.0 to 6.5.

OK that’s all flat racing I hear you say, what about the jumps? The Whitbread Gold Cup as you will recall was won by Strombolus collecting £14,698. This years renewal was worth £91,232, again virtually in the middle of the band with a factor of 6.2.

I can’t see a great deal has changed in the good class races. The values fall within a fairly narrow band and the good trainers still chase the prize. I think VDW advised us to concentrate on the highest penalty values for very good reason

[Author]

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