Re: Handicapping Next season
ghosty wrote:
It was Martins idea and i'm not a big trainer but I agree. When did we get shot of it!! Gray u couldn't get shot of it this season because it was in the rules for this season. How many people has actually started half way through a season!!!!
Yes I am the big bad wolf who suggested it so shoot them poison arrows at me !! Mind you it is nice to see John and Josh agreeing with me as that hasn't always happened
The suggestion was made in the context of it being a problem re handicapping but I have always thought it unnecessary anyway. Let people fill out their stables, let new people join but knowing that they might be slightly disadvantaged if their horses have to start from a higher mark than at the beginning.
Current trainers transfer in horses could even be given a start rating that was the median or average of the stables current ratings. Maybe even let the newcomers have that brief advantage for a few weeks of having their horses rated lower. Just make sure there is something put in place to stop current ones taking advantage of it.
At some point the true facts and realities of this are going to need to be faced up to. Whistles and bows won't keep this league alive. We can have fancy additions to TOM and TV style commentaries but at the end of the day if we keep losing new players and don't do something to attract new ones its all pretty pointless anyway.
This is the fewest number of people participating since I first became involved and considering everyone has to stay at home and can't go out you would think it would be the opposite. That isn't because we don't have a handicapper. It is because the game is geared for the top players.
Most of the new players this season are returners from years ago anyway so there is virtually no new blood. Almost the entire middle section of trainers has departed in the last few seasons. The people I considered myself in competition with no longer enter horses , Darren Howells, James Follis, Kevin Meenaghan, Marty Cairms, Carl Arrogante, Moliets, Doug, Stu … all gone. I only have Gray left and as he lost his game I cn't even enjoy beating him
Even people who entered the trials haven't entered the league. Where has Jango gone. John Seaford last season was a newbie, posting on the forums, joining in. Where has he gone. These are the things we should be looking at.
If you look at Paul's DCC cup you will see that the top 5 trainers have amassed 130 wins. The other 18 have 72 between them. That gulf will get wider as the season goes on. That is the biggest problem. And it should be pretty obvious to anyone who cares that it is.
Adding more races has most definitely not worked at all 40 per code is too many. There are far too many group races but we keep adding more. There were only 10 races a day when I started now there are 13. It is too much and that is why mistakes are being made with horses running off wrong ratings, in wrong silks and races are being run on the wrong track. It is also why no one wants to volunteer to be the handicapper and attracting race runners id difficult
I am not sure how many years this league has been going but I bet it has always had a handicapper. All of a sudden it doesn't matter. There should have been some thought put into ways to make the job easier not just scrap it. That was a poor decision and not a democratic one. Did anyone speak to Sirius, Doug, Craig Beckwith about how it could be streamlined or made easier. Did anyone think of having a group of handicappers, one doing 2yo, one doing 3yo, one doing 4yo+, one doing hurdlers and one doing chasers. Did anyone think about offering an incentive to volunteers like an extra slot in your stable.
There are many options and they should be discussed and voted on not dismissed out of hand or adopted at the will of one individual.
I also don't recall any or many joining mid season. But I could give you a list of dozens who have stopped playing altogether, a list that will surely grow if people make dictatorial comments like .. "its not going to happen " and "not going down that road again"
I spoke to Gray at the weekend and told him I was considering quitting as commentator at the end of the season and that I thought this season would be my last playing too. That may now happen sooner. Bottom line is it just isn't fun anymore.
Very disappointing.