This is the first week that I tinkered with the schedule and I'd like to apologize for missing the rating on race one of the flat - it is a Listed but it has a Max rating of 100 - if I'd had noticed this I would have changed it to no max rating.

I think we would all agree with this - we want the best in the Group races.

Enter it, Jim. You will soon learn if it is a dud or not and my guess is it will be rated over 100 after this start.

Personally i have always encouraged new trainers to stick to a suitable rating for each of their horses and i think we all should encourage new trainers to compete in races where they have a chance of being competitive. In saying that we can't stop them either BUT having 2 entries per race in G level could prevent that as the cut off point should be the lowest rated horses. The last thing we want is the 'chaos horse' the low rated horse that suddenly drops back through the field and takes out a runner. One of my horses did it last week to one of Josh's horses - it happens but the chances of it happening can be cut with horses racing in an appropriate class. That is also hard to avoid in the first two weeks.

I think we would all agree with you. As Steve and Gray have pointed out is that it was an old rule from the past which must have had it's merits at the time but i don't think the rule is applicable any more. I also am doing the same in the hunt as yourself. I have entered all my hunt horses as chasers and only as open class as to make it less confusing for myself and faster to do my nominations as well. I am switching them between chase and hurdles just to see them race.

Josh,
Breath taken, I really don't want this to escalate further, as was not my intention to get into a slagging match with you or Sirius, so sadly as much as I would like to reply to certain aspects of your post, I feel things are best left unsaid & we move on. I am not entirely sure of your need "to go off the board" is warranted, I would like to think you will reconsider and return to business as normal.

Sirius,
I am sorry that you feel my questioning of some marks is unfounded, I guess this is a matter of opinion and we will have to agree to disagree.



Posted about 18 months ago and correct then as it is now, probably something all, including myself, should remind ourselves when heated debate begins.

Lets all calm down lads we dont want anyone quitting or doing anything silly TBH i wish i had kept my
mouth shut now i really was just curious and it certainly was not a complaint. I think the schedule
seems to be split pretty fairly.


I think double entries is a great thing i think every international classic should have double entries option
The Kentucky Derby this week would have been a good race for double entries. Maybe look into expanding this

I said this a few years ago and I tried to add some last season that we had not just Max Ratings but Min Ratings as well Min Rating 90 Group 1 Min Rating 80 Group 2 Min Rating 70 Group 3 this way you will get the best horses competing in Group 1 and the Mid Low Tier guys can still run horses in Group 2 and 3 but trainers like to run horses in the Guineas Not Me I missed one this week and sent my 3yo to a Handicap because I rather win a race than finish last in a Group 1.


I am in favour in Opening all races to two entries but you would have to have min Ratings on races like the Kentucky Derby as the fields would be huge and as we know courses cant take big fields.


Gray


P.S the min Ratings didn't work last season as I don't think Tom is set up for min rating Races

Without giving too much away, I entered 4 flat handicap races this week and my horses finished 3rd, 4th, 10th and 12th. Most were handicapped about the middle weight of all the runners in the field.

Definately not the performances of Group rated horses, although the 3rd place was a 0-110 handicap and was up against some other top trainers.

Jim

1 winner today for me, but some very decent runs too

Not sure if I'm happy or sad after today's races/ Further proof my horses seem to be just slightly not getting their distances (which isn't surprising as I haven't bred a horse beyond 1m2 yet). Both wins so far coming over the 7f distance from horses bred for a mile. Enping Equus has been heartbreaking in both starts now, 2nd in the Australian GP1 then 5th in the Guineas, however how she managed to finish 5th from there I'll never know, I'd already started the celebratory drinks!!! When she runs over 7f, get on!!

Bozhou Blandior ran a good race, dominating from start to finish to win quite easily. I half expected this after it fell out the stalls in week 2, so ended up on a decent H'capp mark

Vinny

G2 day in my stable!

Firstly Millenibing won the G2 1m4f Qatar Jockey Club Stakes, just when I thought my 1m4f horses have no class.
After that in a dead heat Trickplay One Million won the G2 1m Bet365 Mile with a very strong finish, but Stpehens Suchet fighted back to make it dead heated. (again not counted in TOM )
Miss Millenium nearly took the G3 1m2f Gordon Richards Stakes but was badly blocked just when she had full speed, look how fast she regained speed! A 3rd was still a nice result!

On the NH side Molto Stupido was able to win the G2 Hcp Old Roan Chase, Pauls Legally Yours was really strong, mine had the luck of the better last jump!

Congrats all winners and a big thank you to the team!!

Holger (Moliets Surfer) not Moilets Paul!

Blank on the flat for the first day as it continues to be clearer my lot are really just handicappers, o the horror. 3 wins from my NH team and a few decent runs for places.

One winner on the flat with Baltic Road finishing like a sprinter to win the G3 Gordon Richards race.

Good run by my two fillies in the 1,000 Guineas to finish 2nd and 4th. The rest of my flat horses were poor on day 1.


Two winners over fences with Ancient Hill winning a Novice hurdle and Winter Port winning a Novice chase. A mixed bag from the rest of my runners, a few nice placers but a few still running.


Well done to all the winners and placers.

just the 1 winner today Suchet defies a penalty to remain unbeaten though did dead heat with holgers horse which I would have gladly accepted at the 1/2f pole apart from that couple of ok showings


congrats all runners well done john nice 1000gns winner

Some times u can do everything right and get no results and yet some times u can luck-fluke into something and get results. My winner over jumps rambling rhapsody didn't get named because I didn't think it would get a full potential and so i'm surprised I even ran it in game and I won my first English classic in SO6 with a horse I bred to be a 6 furlong 2yo, all my 7-8 furlong horses came that way. I saved them as a 2yo and they never raced as a 3yo and I only tried them after I decided to have a bigger squad this season. Just about all my horses on the flat are dirt bred runners ( not planned) and i'm really happy I could win a group 1 with them.

Congrats all winners and placers.

I think this will be a long and hard season for me. Feels like I am between a rock and a hard place. I think my horses are better bred and better than those before, but they are not good enough to compete with the big boys. So a lot of 6, 7 and 8 places for me. Hopefully the ratings will even out a bit and my horses will be able to compete more. Think a win will be harder to come by this year.

Well done all involved, the league is in a good place.

The flat this season is the best I've ever been involved in, I think these horses are far better than the final ones on SO 5.