Handicappers Blog: And the nominations are...

BHA Handicapper Neil Young provides his own 'awards' of the week based on the all weather racing which has survived the snow:


QUALITY TURN: Wicked Daze, winner of a 1m4f claimer at Kempton with a rating of 85. He didn't need to reproduce that figure to oblige - I assess his performance around the 76 mark - and this, his first win since July 2008, may well prove a decent little confidence-booster.

OLD STAGER: Black Falcon, who obliged in the 1m3f seller at Southwell on Sunday (10th January), nine days after his official tenth birthday, breaking a losing run of 21. His "present" from the handicapper is an 8lb rise from 47 to 55 - that's still a pound less than his BHA rating a year ago this week.

FASTEST RISER: Russian Music, who bolted up by six lengths in the 2m handicap at Southwell to complete a quickfire hat-trick. He ran off 60 that day, including a 6lb penalty, but his actual BHA rating at the time was "only" 58. His rise is therefore into double figures: 10lb, taking him to 68.

TIGHTEST FINISH: The 'Sponsor A Race By Calling 01902 390000' Handicap over 1m4f at Wolverhampton, in which the eight-year-old Fantasy Ride held off a late challenge from seven-year-old Crimson Flame to prevail by a short head. The winner goes up 4lb from 51 to 55, the second 3lb from 48 to 51.

TRICKIEST PUZZLE: The 'Bet In Running - Betdaq' Maiden Stakes over 1m3f at Southwell, in which the 62-rated Ask The Oracle beat twice-raced Dubai Creek by three quarters of a length, with the 65-rated Laureldeans Best, in receipt of a 5lb sex allowance from the front two, a length back. I went through three different sets of figures before settling on a 5lb rise to 67 for the winner - and each one of them might yet turn out to be correct.

CHEEKIEST TRAINER: David Pipe, who e-mailed me asking if I might consider dropping his charge Estate 7lb from 67 to 60 following his defeat in the 1m5f194y handicap at Wolverhampton. Admittedly, the horse hasn't won since 2007, but as he finished only a smidgin over two lengths behind the winner on Thursday - off that mark of 67 - the most I can really offer Estate is a pound's reduction. Still, as we say here in the north-east, "shy bairns get no jam on their bread."

Handicappers Blog: World Beaters

BHA Deputy Head of Handicapping Dominic Gardiner-Hill talks about some of the top horses announced as a result of last Tuesday's World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings press conference

WORLD BEATERS
Last Tuesday saw the culmination of a couple of month’s hard work when the 2009 World Thoroughbred Rankings were published at the annual press conference at BHA headquarters. The year had been heralded as one 'of Exceptional Racehorses' by the 14 man panel, with the mighty Sea The Stars leading the way with an impressive figure of 136, writes Dominic Gardiner-Hill .

The two categories in which I specialise on the committee, the sprinters and the milers, also saw some star performances.

The Hong Kong trained Sacred Kingdom (122) has now been either top or joint top rated sprinter in the world for the last three years - his best performances in 2009 being in the Krisflyer International Sprint in Singapore and in his own back yard when taking the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Sprint.

He had to share top spot this year with Australian trained Scenic Blast whose best effort came when taking the Coolmore Lightning Stakes at Flemington back in January and then blitzing the Europeans in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot.

The European sprinters lagged behind their Australian and Asian counterparts, but did have 'safety in numbers' with top rated Fleeting Spirit, Kingsgate Native, Regal Parade and Total Gallery all being given a mark of 118.

The miling division saw two of the year's best competing. French filly Goldikova put up a scintillating performance of 130 when taking the Jacques Le Marois by 6 lengths at Deauville in August and she finished up as the second highest rated horse in the world on the basis of that performance.

It was one of my great regrets of the season that we didn't see Goldikova and Rip Van Winkle take each other on over a mile. The Irish colt confirmed his rating of 129 from the Eclipse when beating Paco Boy in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and then didn't have to reproduce that level of performance when taking Ascot's QE II later in the campaign.

Interestingly, at the press conference, poor old Rip took a bit of stick for his lofty rating but I firmly believe it is correct and he is unfortunate to have raced in the same season not only as Sea The Stars but Goldikova as well. She pipped him to the crown of World's best miler, a title he would have taken in all bar three of the years since 1994 with a mark of 129.

Let's hope the two of them take each other on at some point in 2010!

BHA Handicappers' Blog: Novice Chasers and a Deep Impact

There was plenty of interesting action in the novice chasing division this week, writes Stephen Hindle.

Star northern-trained six-year-old horse Knockara Beau maintained his good start over fences with what was more like an exercise than a race in the John Smith's Paris Pike Novices' Chase (2m6f110y) at Kelso on Sunday (6th December). Sent off at prohibitive odds of 1/8, he didn't have to come under any real pressure to coast clear for an 18-length victory ahead of the 115-rated Calin Royal, making his record over fences 3 wins from 4 starts.

Knockara Beau's one defeat over fences came at Cheltenham on his previous start, where he went down by only a neck to Weird Al (BHA rating 140), conceding him 8lb. The form was later franked at the same track, where Weird Al emerged from the fog with a 2-length victory over Pigeon Island in the Cheltenham Collection Noves' Chase (2m5f) on Friday.

In terms of the merit of their performances, I left Knockara Beau unchanged on 147, as he was entitled to win as smoothly he did. Weird Al, however, receives a small rise to 144 after a seemingly slightly improved effort under his penalty.

As good a type of performer as those two novice chases attracted, they didn't have graded status, unlike the December Novices' Chase (3m) at Lingfield on Saturday, where Burton Port made it two out of two over fences with a comfortable three-length success over Massasoit, with their sole rival Bench Warrent (BHA 132) a further 10 lengths back.

There has been talk in the press recently about a dwindling number of runners in novice chases, one of the main reasons being connections' apparent reluctance to have their handicap marks ruined by finishing close up behind a higher-rated rival. In this race, as with many others, that concern proved to be false: I elected not to change any of the three runners' official marks - not even the winner, Burton Port, who remains on 145.

You can read more about this issue in our Head of Handicapping Phil Smith's Blog.

In terms of more experienced chasers, Deep Purple put in a career best to land the totesport.com Peterborough Chase (2m4f110y) at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Out of the first two only twice in ten starts over the larger obstacles, Deep Purple earned the lofty rating of 166 in the Grade 2 event with a six-length victory over Tartak, who himself deserves credit for clawing his way up to second following a few jumping errors and whose official BHA rating goes from 149 to 150.

The big handicap chase was at Cheltenham, namely the boylesports.com Gold Cup (2m5f) on Saturday, won this year by Poquelin. A month on from his second in the Paddy Power, Poquelin had little trouble going one better, always lurking with intent and drawing away to beat Razor Royale by seven lengths - and earning himself a 10lb rise in the ratings from 151 to 161 in the process. The Ryanair Chase is reportedly his aim.