Balloting

will1977

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone can explain how the balloting works. Horse entered in on Monday and has a ballot number of 5.

Thanks

will1977

Anybody ?

wb

Hi Will, there's a section on it here:

http://info.hri-racing.ie/notices/HRI_Directive_Book.pdf

Tinytony

Just onto this.

Have any of ye had a chance to look at the new balloting system being enforced next year. Aim is to do away with a lot of the donkeys out there.
Seems like a decent proposal. The gist being that the minimum qualifying rating on the flat will be increased from 45 to 47 and from 77 to 80 over hurdles with aim reducing the amount of eliminations due to balloting.


http://www.goracing.ie/content/hri/hrinews.aspx?id=6988

Cantoris

It's a great idea, just five years too late. The real reason for the balloting problem in Ireland has been the increase in the number of bad horses in training due to the Celtic Tiger. Well those days are now over and while it might take a year for the horses to disappear, they will start doing so now. A lot of breeders and pin hookers have been left with their horses after the sales and unlike syndicates who are willing to stick it out for a few years, these guys will be ruthless in trying to win races with them and selling them on. So I reckon a lot of bad quality horses will simply disappear. And it is these horses that have been clogging up the system. Every horse needs three runs to get a mark unless they win so even the atrocious ones are taking up places. These horses should have been moved into the point to point fields long ago. A bumper winner is rated around 100 so if you can't get within 30 or 40 lenghts of that at some point, you are at very little really. I'm delighted to see this rule change and coupled with the economic circumstances, should help those with better horses to get a run.

Tinytony

Definitely. The amount of bad horses out there at the moment is a joke. We have a decent horse at the moment but trying to get into maiden hurdles is a joke. We were balloted out 6 times before we finally got into one. Ended up running novice hurdles just to get a mark and are waiting on it now.

Cantoris

Yeah that's often the way to do it. Run in winners races whether bumpers or hurdles. At least you are guaranteed a run. The economic climate cannot be underestimated when it comes to the number of horses in training over the next few years. The number of young lads training horses now is unparalelled and some of these lads will fall by the wayside soon as the horses start disappearing. Bad debts will be as big a problem for trainers as balloting is to owners.

Amonsol

Some interesting views on the link below. Complicated topic but I think they are going the right way of doing it.

http://talkinghorses.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=12623