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PP Q&A
Senior Practical Punting correspondent the Optimist answers your questions
Ask A QuestionWhat do you think is a reasonable weight rise, relative to the limit with a horse going down in class, e.g. a benchmark 90 horse going down to a benchmark 80. Is there a weight rise figure upon which you wouldn't invest on the horse?
No, I have no limits on this. It depends so much on the actual horses entered. Some 80's are masqueraders that really couldn't win the class if they started in the previous racefield, while others are on the way up and merely collecting prizemoney. So, no specific criteria.
Question:
What happened to the Weekend Australian's tipsters poll? Some years ago it collated tips from ten tipsters from The Australian, Sportsman and local papers for each of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney and later reduced to seven per state but still it was very useful for doing some quick picks. More recently they published just two states' coverage but after a short winter break, last weekend I could find not one column line of racing info in the sports section. Have they dumped it, or has it perhaps landed in some iNews susbscription service?
Answer:
I wish I could be more hopeful but the paper's editorial staff decided to virtually dump their form side some time back and I see little chance of its being resurrected, especially with company's staff reductions which are currently in place.
There were some great systems based on this poll, and all I can advise is that you use your local papers together with your choice of the specialist paper(s) to compile your own polls. I'd be allocating 3.2.1, but then the tendency today is 4.3.2.1 (because of the emergence of the first four bet as a force).
Is the course caller related to Nash Rawiller? It's "Nash this" and "Nash that", as in the third race today (Saturday).
All the rest are Smith, Jones and (frankly, it appears) nobody special.
Answer:
We had a question very similar some time back. Nobody from SKY (or anywhere!) replied to us.
You're dead right, of course.
The answer?
Blessed if I know, but I agree that it gets on a listener's nerves.
Maybe someone should direct him to this question/answer...
Thankyou for the reply on Benchmark races. Yes I understand how benchmarks work for horse and trainer. What I would like to know now is where you think a BM95 is classed in relation to an Open Handicap. Would it be a much lesser quality or about the same as an Open?
Answer:
For me, a 95 figure is more than respectable. It's a very good rating indeed, and yes, in a young horse with that sort of figure I'd be looking to the best races as targets.
You'll see relatively few races run that aim as high as that. Don't forget that what we used to call welters are open class. Certainly a 95 would be eyeing one of those off, just for starters!
Is the Jockeys' Challenge ever a good bet, or is the market too biased the Layer's way?
Answer:
To be ruthlessly honest, I place the Jockeys' Challenge in the never-ever camp. The market is shockingly loaded, and frankly it's usually guesswork.
It's just another way of nudging a dollar or two out of your pocket.
Well, you asked me... but you already knew, as your astute observation indicates. You're dead right.
I wouldn't even bother to look.
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