This is just an observation from a purely personal point of view.

I have had a very good start to the NH season and many of my horses are handicapped at 140+. I was entering my horses and I noticed that there were only 8 races that were not handicap races this week and also many of the handicap races have max ratings of 120,130 & 140.

It is the first season I have had so many highly rated horses and never realised before how difficult it must have been for the top trainers to place horses in appropriate races. This week, just to give my horses a run, I have entered horses into a few 140 handicap races where I suspect they will be top weight.

Don't get me wrong, we need handicap races for those trainers not in the top tier and this observation is purely from a personal point of view. It's just that about a third of my horses are excluded from about half of the races and like every trainer I want to see the majority of my horses running each week.

I appreciaate that I have now entered that top tier of trainers but I just thought I might comment on how hard it has been this week to find appropriate races for my horses.

In some ways it is probably the same for lower tier trainers where open\group races are too high a level for thir horses and they need the 10 races with 120 and 130 limits on races to give them a chance of picking up a win.

In summary, I think it is the mid-tier trainers who have the best of it. Their better horses can pick up minor place prize money in group races and their lesser horses can be competetive in the handicaps.

Please don't jump on my back with this post. I am not advocating wholesale changes to the schedule, it is merely how I see the league from my top tier perspective.

Yes Jim Been like that for a few seasons you either take your chances in Handicaps or wait
for another week or so or until the right race comes.

if one of my jumps horses get beat i then dont mind throwing em into handicaps but we all
love an unbeaten horse and I do try to protect them once beat anything goes.

I Know my horse has it tough in a handicap but thats fair enough it should be that way
as the horse has earned that rating for a reason so I take my chances sometimes they
surprise you.

I am not complaining about the situation. I have been an upper mid tier trainer for the last few seasons and I have just had a reality check as to what you, John and other top trainers have faced in the past.

I have not tried to protect any unbeaten records. I like to see as many of my horses running as possible so I have just thrown whatever horses I could into handicaps and I will be very interested to see if my top rated horses can cope with the situation. You never know what is going to happen in a race. In the past, if memory serves me correctly, top weights don't often win but if some of them finish in the first 5 it shows the handicap is not far wrong.

I've got to admit I'm fine with the schedule , my horses average 6 runs a season and I'm fine with that. I tend not to run horses high up in h'caps but that's just my preference and because I don't go looking to win any championships I don't need to chase wins. I think its fair to all now that we have 0-100 h'caps.

Jim horses can win with big weights, My Princess Laura won the welsh national with a monster weight so it can be done.

Probably the best win i have ever seen John

Normally I would never run a horse with that type of weight, I was sorry I didn't run Present Abbey in the national now but I might bring her back in the window otherwise I might struggle to have a runner in the national. Perhaps even Last House who finished 2nd could come back. U horse won last week with a monster weight so it can be done its just very hard.

I cant see any Josh runners, josh I don't know if u put them in late but don't stop having runners. We all have these funny 5 minutes. I've had a few over the past season or so. Lets get back to having fun in the league again.

Yes I dito these settlements dont give up Josh as far as im concerned its all forgotten
and yes i have had the odd rant on here over the years its human nature