Handicappers Blog: Wrestling with the Truth

It’s that time of the year again: the annual "Irish Trainers versus British Handicappers" spat, writes Martin Greenwood.

This time, representing the Green corner we have Willie "I can’t understand it" Mullins and Gordon "It’s a joke" Elliott, while in the Red, White and Blue corner we have hurdle handicappers David "above the level of the Irish" Dickinson and Martin "too high" Greenwood.

First onto the (Racing Post-sponsored) canvas is Mr Mullins, who can simply not understand the hurdle mark given to Coral Cup entry J’Y Vole according to his article in Sunday’s edition. Perhaps I can explain...

Firstly: the level of the form used by the domestic handicappers is higher than the Irish level, a situation that has been well chronicled over recent years.

Secondly: UK domestic handicappers can and will use steeplechase form when making their decision about hurdle marks (and vice versa), something that isn’t done across the Irish Sea.

To compare J’Y Vole’s Irish hurdle marks is therefore irrelevant, because the HRI handicappers haven’t taken into account the big improvement J’Y Vole showed when winning the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park in February.

Let’s also not forget, J’Y Vole can take advantage of the much lower rating by racing over hurdles in Ireland should connections so wish. The choice does exist.

After a successful "tag", Mr Elliott now appears in the ring to disagree with another Coral Cup entry. Comparing Chicago Grey’s domestic rating of 151 to the Irish equivalent of 141 is apparently "a joke" he laments in Monday’s edition of the Post.

Again, Mr Elliott seems to think that the HRI and BHA levels are comparable, despite the fact that the discrepancy between the two has existed for a number of years. Given Mr Elliott’s healthy strike rate with handicap hurdlers in the UK, you think he would be used to it by now.

Our rating of Chicago Grey, based on his defeat of Mourad at Thurles last time out, is 2lb higher than that of the Racing Post; the Irish rating is 8 lb lower.

Finally, having received a phone call regarding Chicago Grey from Mr Elliott while I was attending Doncaster last Friday, he then proceeded to tell me how unhappy he was with my decision to drop another of his horses, Meath All Star, 5 lbs (due to the fact the race he won at Ffos Las not working out well), which meant his horse was unlikely to make the cut in his Cheltenham engagement - unless he can win and invoke a 5 lb penalty in the meantime. Trainers... don’t ya just love ‘em!