Skip to main content

48 hours can only be a good thing

More moans in today's Racing Post from people complaining about a stack of non-runners this week, naturally blaming the 48hr declarations rule for Flat racing. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact it pissed down rain overnight or throughout those days!

48hrs gives punters and bookmakers time to do the form properly, rather than just a mad rush on race morning. The Racing Post published historical letters of complaint from when the rule went from 48 to 24hrs a few decades ago - people complained then too!

Also in today's Racing Post, on the same page in fact was a piece about how some trainers have been abusing self-certification (being able to declare a horse unfit themselves rather than paying for a vet) and how the BHA is trying to crack down on it. This is a significant factor which clouds any data about 48hr decs and the number of non-runners.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with 48hr decs is that it doesn't go far enough. It's like having a player draft but not having a salary cap - you must have other rules in place to go with it, namely a withdrawal deadline on race morning. I find it ridiculous that trainers can pull their horses out at any time, particularly because they 'have to inspect the ground'. That's the clerk of the course's job, once the official going is announced, that should be end of story.

The Australian system of a scratching deadline of 8.30am, with later withdrawals only permitted on the basis of change in the official going or a vet's certificate, works perfectly well. Everyone knows a deadline is in place; trainers, bookies, punters, jockeys etc, so markets and bets can be adjusted, you can change your travel plans if the horse you were going to watch is out etc. If owners/trainers want to pull out at that stage, no penalty (other than loss of any entry fee). Make the non-runners list available to all online immediately after the deadline.

I'd even go one step further, stretching declarations to 72hrs for Group I races. The field for the $1m Golden Rose in Sydney this weekend was declared on Tuesday. Plenty of time for exposure, promotion, form study etc. Sure there will be scratchings if the weather turns - but that would happen at 24 and 48hr deadlines as well...
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comments, but if you're a spammer, you've just wasted your time - it won't get posted.

Popular posts from this blog

Spot-fixing - you will never, ever be able to stop it

According to this report , IPL tournaments so far have been rife with spot-fixing - that is fixing minor elements of the game - runs in a single over, number of wides bowled etc. The curious part of that article is that the Income Tax department are supposed to have found these crimes. What idiot would be stupid enough to put down 'big wad of cash handed to me by bookie' as a source of income? Backhanders for sportsmen, particularly in a celebrity- and cricket-obsessed culture like India are not rare. They could come from anything like turning up to open someone's new business (not a sponsor, but a 'friend of a friend' arrangement), to being a guest at some devoted fan's dinner party etc. The opportunities are always there, and there will always be people trying to become friends with players and their entourage - that is human nature. This form of match-fixing (and it's not really fixing a match, just a minor element of it) is very hard to prove, but also, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

lay the field - my favourite racing strategy

Dabbling with laying the field in-running at various prices today, not just one price, but several in the same race. Got several matched in the previous race at Brighton, then this race came along at Nottingham. Such a long straight at Nottingham makes punters often over-react and think the finish line is closer than it actually is. As you can see by the number of bets matched, there was plenty of volatility in this in-play market. It's rare you'll get a complete wipe-out with one horse getting matched at all levels, but it can happen, so don't give yourself too much risk...
33 comments
Read more

BBVA Compass Bowl preview

Just a few more College Bowl games to go to complete the season. Here's another preview by James Jack, @materialista27 . And a reminder that if any previews aren't posted here, you should be able to find them on his dedicated College Bowl site . --------------- BBVA Compass Bowl Saturday January 5th, 12:00 CST (18:00 GMT) Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Ole Miss Rebels The BBVA Compass Bowl was originally created as the Birmingham Bowl in 2006 and has also been sponsored by Papa John's Pizza in its short history. The Bowl initially had a tie-in with the Conference-USA but they decided to rip that up in 2008 and signed a deal with the Big East and the SEC. It currently matches the 6th team from the Big East with the 9th team from the SEC, however in recent years, it appears to have become the Pittsburgh Bowl as this will be their third straight appearance, splitting the last two with SMU. Should this game follow that trend, Pittsburgh ...
Post a Comment
Read more