Handicaps - are they worth it?

Wikipedia definition of a handicap....

A handicap race in horse racing is a race in which horses carry different weights, allocated by the handicapper. A better horse will carry a heavier weight, to give him or her a disadvantage when racing against slower horses. The handicapper's goal in assigning handicap weights is to enable all the horses to finish together (in a dead heat). The skill in betting on a handicap race, therefore, lies in guessing which horse can overcome his or her handicap.[1]

for me they are the hardest races to pick winners from, are they worth it from a punting point of view?

no

Makes the exotics pay...
been puzzling on this for a while, and been thinking of only trying to punt the maidens... generally more consistent methinks

Stats guru's input would be welcomed

Handicaps = bigger fields = bigger pools

Contest Wrote:

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> Handicaps = bigger fields = bigger pools


and a bigger problem to solve?

keniza999 Wrote:

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> Contest Wrote:
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> > Handicaps = bigger fields = bigger pools
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> and a bigger problem to solve?

Why? They are handicapped to deadheat ! The problem is solved...... {penny drops}..Oh, I c ur point. there are not that many deadheats. Our handicappers must be poor

The Madji Wrote:

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> keniza999 Wrote:
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> > Contest Wrote:
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> > > Handicaps = bigger fields = bigger pools
> >
> >
> > and a bigger problem to solve?
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> Why? They are handicapped to deadheat ! The
> problem is solved...... {penny drops}..Oh, I c ur
> point. there are not that many deadheats. Our
> handicappers must be poor

"there are not that many" is an understatement considering that it is the actual field that is suppose to dead-heat.

Wouter Wrote:

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> Makes the exotics pay...
> been puzzling on this for a while, and been
> thinking of only trying to punt the maidens...
> generally more consistent methinks
>
> Stats guru's input would be welcomed


Wouter I agree with you maidens, conditions and wfa races are actually won by the best horses most of the time...but with handicaps its anybody's guess

There is NOT 1 trainer in sa that trains horses to win hadicaps, they train them to win races thats why results are the way they are.

If the handicap mark of a horse is correct as per the handicapper but incorrect as per the trainer if he wants to win a race that horse needs to be placed correctly.

We still have trainers that "know" that a 10 time winner rated 78 is better than a maiden rated 100


In the uk trainers prepare horses according to future handicaps they want to target, in sa horses run every week with f uckall handicap target in the future.

Sir Mark Prescott and others are particularly good at this often NOT racing a horse for months to win a handicap.

Solution

Change the current bulk of races in sa to claiming or selling races, increase stakes in now lesser handicaps.. Sorted

Actually i lied


Bush Telegraph winning the rothmans july handicap was a true masterpiece of a trainer handicapping a horse correctly to catch the big prize.

Goodwood Result
26 Jul 1988
« 3:10 » WILLIAM HILL STEWARDS' CUP HANDICAP
(0-115) 6f Good To Soft
£46,837.50, £14,100.00, £6,825.00, £3,187.50
RESULTRATE RACE
Show all comments in runningShow all pedigrees
HORSE/SP AGE WGT TRAINER/JOCKEY OR TS RPR

« 1 20 Rotherfield Greys 14/1 6 8-8 Chris Wall 88 * * »
Nigel Day


« 2 14 2 Glencroft 66/1 4 7-81 D W Chapman 74 * * »
A Proud


« 3 19 ¾ Dowsing (USA) 10/1 4 10-0 J Tree 108 * * »
Pat Eddery


« 4 21 1½ Master Pokey 13/2F 4 8-8 Michael Easterby 88 * * »
S Cauthen


« 5 23 ¾ Storm Runner 50/1 3 7-31 G Fytche 81 * * »
J Carter5


« 6 15 ½ Dorking Lad 12/1 6 8-5 Mark H Tompkins 85 * * »
Ray Cochrane


« 7 29 hd Golden Ancona 12/1 5 8-2 M H Easterby 82 * * »
Philip Robinson


« 8 2 nk Coppermill Lad 33/1 5 7-7 L J Holt 73 * * »
N Adams


« 9 9 ¾ Micro Love 66/1 4 7-7 H O'Neill 73 * * »
T Williams


« 10 24 ½ Luna Bid 50/1 5 7-12 Michael Blanshard 78 * * »
C Rutter

This was worth it for my mates dad who owned RG,it was punted from 66/1 and won this race on its 3rd start
Never won another race,
They bought a string of pubs from the winnings and the horses picture still hangs there.

Racing without handicaps would not be worth having