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HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS FEBRUARY 3, 2006 by Dick Powell I watch international racing as much as possible and I am always struck by the lack of handicapping information that is provided. Past performances usually consist of only an extended result line, and the form of horses is generally evaluated by who beat whom and on what kind of ground they did it. However, one area that we are way behind our foreign counterparts is the "stewards' reports," a detailed compilation of what happened out of the ordinary before, during and after a race. If you pay any attention to the Dubai International Racing Carnival and use their web site -- www.emiratesracing.com -- you can get information that we in America would love to have. In their Stewards' Report, the following items appeared for the Carnival races on January 19 and 26: "IMPERIAL ICE (SAf) (S Randolph) veered inwards at the start crowding FAIR ROSAMOND (Ire) (R Mullen) in onto DON’T DILI DALI (GB) (J Egan) which struck the hindquarters of DONIA DUBAI (Ire) (P Dillon)." Our detailed charts indicate if a horse breaks poorly but doesn't give much, if any, information on how the horse behaved in the loading process. Not in Dubai: "WIN RIVER WIN (USA) (J Spencer) proved difficult to load delaying the start. Trainer Mr. C Kurt was advised that WIN RIVER WIN (USA) was placed on the starters list and would require a stalls test before being entered to race." Over here, the starter and stewards might require further schooling of reluctant loaders, but the public knows nothing about it. And, there is a difference between a horse who doesn't behave at the gate and one that has to go back to school in order to race again. If your horse runs an inexplicably poor race, maybe there's a reason after all. "CONROY (USA) returned having lost its near fore plate." Or, try this one: "When questioned regarding the disappointing performance of CLASP (GB), jockey T Durcan explained that after traveling well in running, upon entering the straight the colt had appeared uncomfortable when held tight by runners and when urged along was reluctant to stride out." And these: "SAFSOOF (USA) (R Mullen) returned with a cut to its mouth." "COMMANDOCOURAGEOUS (SAF) (J Bekker) returned with a small cut to its near fore fetlock." "SLEIPNER (BRZ) (R Cleary) injured its off fore fetlock and was pulled up at the 300m. Trainer Mr. A Selvaratnam later advised that SLEIPNER (BRZ) would be retired from racing." Horse have a bad trip? Our charts do a good job in providing a narrative on how the race was run, but the Dubai Stewards' Report goes further with greater detail. "PARASOL (Ire) (K Manning) shifted inwards passing the 200m and bumped heavily with SAPUCAI (Arg) (R Moore), then crowded that gelding causing it to be restrained. PARASOL (Ire) continued to shift inwards and near the 100m carried ELMUSTANSER (GB) (R Hills) inwards." "At the 375m MILLBAG (IRE) rolled inwards crowding PRINCE CHARMING (GB). When attempting a marginal run near the 300m T-BIRD (SAf) (T O’Shea) brushed the hindquarters of the tiring HINTERLAND (SAf) (R Moore), became unbalanced and struck the running rail." The Dubai Stewards' Report also tells you the adjudication of the foul in terms of punishment for the rider or the trainer. "JET EXPRESS (SAf) (S Randolph) shifted out passing the 75m causing SAFE SRUCTURE (SAf) to be restrained. Jockey S Randolph was found guilty to a charge of careless riding under ERA 69 (i) and was subsequently suspended from riding in races for 2 days (Abu Dhabi on 5 February 2006, and Nad Al Sheba on 9 February 2006)." When we look at our charts, we never know how severe infractions were in terms of suspending the rider since our charts are available fewer than 20 minutes after the race is run and well before the stewards here decide to take action. Over there, they only race a few days a week and justice is very swift. The stewards in Dubai, like most racing jurisdictions around the world, but not in North America, rule with an iron hand and we get their rulings right in their report on the races. I have argued here that additional information is not always helpful in aiding our handicapping, but some of the gems in the Dubai Stewards' Report are priceless. They do not necessarily have to be attached to race charts but as long as they're housed somewhere on a track's web site that we can have access to, that will be fine. A word of caution and disclosure. I work the Dubai International Racing Carnival on behalf of its North American host - Churchill Downs Inc. The morning line that you see in the past performances is done by me and if you ever want to generate an immediate migraine headache, try doing it. I use the pdf form guide that is available two days before the races are run. It gives the running lines for four races and some detailed comments on the right side about the horse's trip. I convert kilograms into pounds while generating the one-page recap sheet that you might be using. What makes the morning line for Dubai racing so difficult is not only the fact that horses from all over the world are competing there, but the betting pools are commingled from the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. There is no betting allowed in Dubai so the pools are hosted in South Africa. I learned very quickly last year that when Michael de Kock has a runner in a race, he will probably be bet very strongly in South Africa. There are lots of nuances to doing it and it can be very humbling when you look at an odds board of the races at Nad Al Sheba and it looks nothing like what you thought it would be. BRIS has Dubai past performances in their "pdf past performances" sections and are available early enough to handicap the races before they are run late in the morning and early afternoon. There are big fields and lots of wagering opportunities if you pay attention. Program numbers are assigned as they are throughout the world and have no relation to post positions. The recap sheet and past performances have the post position next to the program numbers and with bulky fields, trip handicapping can be very beneficial. For the races that have been run in Dubai, utilize the Stewards' Report on the Emirates Racing Association's web site. The main track is usually listed as "fast" and the turf is usually listed as "good to firm." Horses shifting from turf to dirt are especially challenging to handicap and some are coming off long layoffs. What has gotten better is the popularity of the Carnival with international horsemen, which means they are shipping better horses that are much fitter to race for the big money. Horses tend to race back on short rest and many of the competitors have already been racing since the Nad Al Sheba meet began in November. That leaves a lot of form to look at.
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