WEIGHING THE WEIGHTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 53

WEIGHING THE WEIGHTS.

ri'cr^ i« a x>m<nvhat -comm^r an-J, in rhi wntfr'i opinic/!!, an cnon:o;is impre-;-hion hol<l that a handicap, cr ialhor tlio m,_>r't-> of Hi corn]>ihttion, aio b?->' jiulgccl liy the mannsi ii' whith t'.^c horse-> pa«s t'.o- po^t. Tlu> pioof of tho pudding is in t ho -eating, as it u-?'e, in-d if tho placed Ikji^ps are r!o>~ to^rher at rho finish, th-cn ir i-, i^n-rrtilh (or^idpi'od a good handicap. IVrhaj.- it i 3,i 3 , Lut a clo~r> finish in '-Icslf i -i l.ut a'v\.i > rl:3 best and truo-t tost, hc-cau-2 ;i h«.di cr n Jiffiip; >c handicap -.Mtli a fa-" rim race* m::}' pi-oduco a ?cod finish, -whilst a handicap compiler] iu> a n.a.i ;i3T v.h.ch c'-^hci a'ul di-j.rrns criticism may result in an iuter failure from a spectacular paint of view. It is so far be\oi:d the pou "is arkl precautions cf human foresight to foWfll <iJI that is likely to happen in a raw tLut it i> iir-pc^sible to Level tli-in. up on paper beforehand. A horsf* may ba allotted 8.0 in a handicap, and between the date of the appearance of the -noigrhis ami the running of tho race may improve 14!b or more, whilst others -n the race may go off in condition. The weights were allotted an<] cai-cfullj compiled on th-o foi-m v/hicii tho handicapper had at ha-s command, but could anyone under those ci roum.sta<nces say tho actual runing of the race was a

* true test of the merits of the hanidlcapf To make such a contention would be tantamount to declaring that tho hainddcapper ' was a wizard, who could not only foretell i how a horse was likely to run, but also i that the dJiimal's health was handicapped as well as its rating form. In a large percentage cf races the horses got a fairly eqiia-1 chance- to display their prowess, so that a Tea-soniably accurate idea of their ha.ndicap m«rits can i>3 obtained, but there* is also the other side of the question. And if there were not another side, then goodbye to tba '"glorious uncertainty" which, is th>9 magnetic attraction and a great factor (in building' up the fascination of tracing. A. horse, by hook or crook ca just plain, luak, may get ?lb, 101b, oar 14-lb tho best of a, handicap. It is the '"mioxal" that the«cogmose&nti deligiht to discover. The excellent luck of tbo handicap is backed by good track work, arid then the weight of money and the following it .creates finds a. favoumrto strongly established. Thisn comes thti race-, an honest raca amd the a-vexage sprintr raoe. The favourite, with ail his weight in haud, is beat-aa hsii a length off the mark. . The others shut him out, and a wait for on opening on th« rails or a compulsory travel on the oifiskJe- oi the- 6a!dr foxls th» favourite landing in the straight vrith halt a dozen ethers three, four, or five lengtihs, or varioiK parts thereof, in firont. No anxiety, however, is felc by thcee w.ho know, as the favourite csin run> his last quarter in "24," whilst the two more dangerous of the leaders can only gaiUop theirs m "26," i<ut still, throu-gih the fortune of "" war, four lengths have to be mado good in the last couple of furlongs.. Just inside rhe distance tho favouri+e :s: s only three lengths a W ay fiom ttoe leadfirs. Clno of the latter tiree, «r.d, unexpectedly dropping back, gets in the road of tho fexouirite, who, however, pulls clear anid finally pets up to win by a head, a nack, or aJiy other . narrow margin.. The third hoi^o is, Bay, half a length away. The srocd luck of tho handicap is almost nullified by this- bad loicik of tlie race. tm\ the horse .vith several j pounds in his favour finallj wins by a.r» oune3.. It is quits possible that tho average person will then spoak of tho- "good handicaps." On the othor hand (there- are hundreds of "otter hands'"), thj favourite may got firsl away, and &3t th? pace, perhaps , in the wisdom (more ar less) of his jockey, too fast or too slow to suit the horse-. I With a too fast pace Ji^ stops in tho last bit and g>ets beat, or in a, slow-run race g-?ts chopped for paoa in the final dash, or is beat a neck o. wins by a nr2ck ; and here aijpain w-e havo ' tha "good fce-nidi-cap," because a hor^a with 101b or j more in hamd on " paper, owing to the falsa runninisr. gcits beat or wins by a naarrow mai-gin insfc&ad of winning, a,s h« shoidd., by half a dozen lengths, f or at lea.vt in n mairtrer calculated to oaus^ ' no uneasiness an the pai-t of his backers. , It is quite possible, let it be said, that the ( weights cain-i&d in a racs may. even under 1 honest oiroumsta.n-oe«, ha-ve- little or nofchicgf to do wirrh tla> jramne-r i« wthioh tho horses are plaojd at the finish,. In- a true-run racs, in which every horse gets well away and neither blocks, crosses, buxn/ps, lays on, or gallops en, or in. any other way impedes the speed of others, the favomrite may sail home a nice winner, •ascond favourite seeond^ third favourite third, a/nd so oa, and the public say, "I tod you so. Fictood it as soon as I saw tho handicap." Races run over sprint distances on straight-away tracks affc.rd 1 a hors.3 every chance to show J> is b-«.t fo-ni. but si'ioh r?c>"R do not provido much ir- th" wav of a lacine speotacle. In Iho wrilpr'^ opinion the ideal six-furlong' cot.i- 1 -.- 1 wou'«l bi> creiscent shaped. Straight ■^no'iah to t:\vo cv^.-y hcrs-e a clear run, aiul with "bend" in it to show the* public something- for thoJT mon&y. Thai, how>\< r, by way of a d'gre-Mion. Now tak» the ca.^o of rh? kl?al handicap, comprising, «ay, a field of a doz.?.n, hon c - s. Fioch horse is trifd. wpjtrht up. over the distance, and <^ach animal gallops by a rema.rkable- coinoi<'i 3 nce his tr'tl in exactly t.bo sann time-. Mhis n;r c =! to show thiat, it is really a. p-f-r-fcri ha.ndirap. Kaoh. hcrss h equal under the wpights allotted, and the fi«kl should <l n ar! heat at tho winrtinig poat. Now eom&s tha race, for which every horse go°s i to the ptwr as fit as possible, and roady Ito run up to its trial. A perfect start is J effWtF'd, or, at least, the horses are absolutely in Lini'j> as the baawier rises. Oirie, however, swerves this way and amoth^ar the ' opposite, with tho result that there is a ! squeeze, which hampers half a dozen horses lin getling away. Anoti?r stumbles, loses , a len-gth for himself, atnd also ia. another Iby initerferenco-- Other little mishaps occur, with the .result tha* t,h< 12 horses axe spread over a.s many or more l&ngihs in the firsfc 1 furlong. The foremost rid€T hurriics in a ! great hurrj to tha post, and thereby spoils his charo?. Tho slowest away ixiea to catch tfi3 ie*4<Wi-^ s.t the cli=tancs- in. f-oa/i of r^&a^-t&yr th© winning post, and that settles his chanco. The mishap of the start also co.uSn-8 others to got unbalanced, and ig-norant nidiug may perhaps bo responsible for the- rest. The |>arf-pc-t handicap, in>ics<l of boing- a dead heat between th>& lot, is ultima' l 'ely wen by perhaps thrci 1 - lengths cr more in tbro^ H^cor.'Ls slower tim? than ths tirials have b~e:i run ; th^- fislrl is ppreid all over the cour<3, anJ tiie handicapper (and ftarfcor) K°t li npoc:i. "1 foi what, has really bsen the clverr-t. but mc=t unfortunate, effort of thc-ii racing existence.