I apologise for not having contributed to the last

December Calendar, I felt that I needed to comment on the handicapping issues which were to be discussed, if that is the appropriate word to use, at the subsequent Committee meetings on the 10th December 06 and 21st January 07.

 

Before doing so, I should stress that I do not share many people’s concerns regarding handicapping. I feel that there are more important issues that affect our sport. We should be addressing the promotion more vigorously, improving our integrity, making Harness Racing more attractive to the public and the media. I accept the some promoters are already doing this successfully but not all. If it is addressed by all and is successful, then

everybody benefits.

 

Back to handicapping, the changes that were made and are published in this Calendar will help the tracks that need help. Hard Tracks must not be used merely as a training facility or we risk closures, we must not loose any tracks.

 

I personally do not like our handicapping system, it is neither a monies won system or a graded system, it is a hybrid of both and doesn’t work very well. The only logical system is one which includes all money (every penny counts) and without allowances or lifts.

 

If a horse becomes uncompetitive you have an

alternative Condition/Claiming system that it can be switched to if necessary. I have drafted proposals for this alternative system which I believe should receive

serious consideration, otherwise let us keep quiet about handicapping. The handicapping meetings that I have attended over the years have been similar to my school Latin lessons; chaotic, unrewarding and non-achieving. My Latin master was a Catholic priest, a Father Oram, he once said “Delaney I am not sure whether you are wasting my time or I am wasting yours”, it would seem handicapping and Latin have much in common.

 

I give below my paper that I presented to the recent Committee meeting with my proposals for an alternative system.

 

Changing the subject and bringing my “views” to a close, I am not sure whether or not the April Calendar will be out before or after the AGM elections, so I am not sure whether I will live to write another day, so to speak. If not I would like to say that I have enjoyed my year as your Vice-Chairman, more challenging than I was expecting, but I enjoy a challenge, so I will

continue to look for your support.

 

Don’t forget, when the time comes, go to your

Association or Organisation meeting and vote for a

prospective BHRC official that you believe warrants a seat on the Council.

 

 

Thank you.

 

 

Barry Delaney

Only BHRC approved conditions should apply. As a brief outline, they should include gait (pacer or trotter), and may include age, sex, wins and/or earnings. The condition on wins or earnings may apply to a specified number of races, a specified period of time, i.e. the present year, the last two years or the horses lifetime.

 

 Examples of the more common condition races would be:

           Non-winners of say £2000 lifetime

           Non-winners of say two races lifetime

           Non-winners of £2000 in 2006

           Non-winners of £2000 in 2006 and 2005

           Non-winners of £1000 in last five starts

 

Any realistic variation or permutation of the above can be considered. We already have a directive on Claiming races at the BHRC office which will be available to any Promoter.

 

The handicap or method of draw for position to be decided by the Promoter.

 

Free For All races (or the equivalent) should be subject to conditions, i.e. restricted to horses of certain grades, have minimum prize money and minimum entry fee.

 

All current racing programmes could be adapted to suit Conditions racing if they so wished or they would still have the option of the existing system.