The Numbers don’t lie

If this is true then I can see the light like Mr. Magoo.

A horse can be rated by several different methods whether it be timefrom ratings to the number of Group 1 victories and of course prize money, yet even so there’s still no diffinitive way of ranking horses from different eras or different countries due to certain factors that sometimes say more about a thoroughbred than everything else combined.

In a recent interview with Australian trainer John Hawkes then question was asked , “which horse was the best you trained ?” For those not from the southern hemisphere, there could only be two that could be considered, which were Octagonal, the last winner of Australia’s old triple crown, and his son Lonhro, winner of 11 Group 1 races including the Australian Cup and Caulfield Guineas.

While he obviously had a soft spot for both he eventually chose the father based on his amazing 3yr old results that saw him win 5 G1 races including 4 in a 5 week period. Yet he then added that on his day, the son, Lonhro, could do things no other horse could replicate, (his Australian Cup victory was definitely something to behold.

So I was puzzled when a prominent racing journalist attempted to validate a statement he made about a certain mare, Winx, being better than another because it had the highest time form rating of the two.

But here’s the thing. If they raced against different opposition on different tracks at different distances with cooler temperatures and raging winds while one horse did it with her head on her chest under stricter whip riding rules whilst one was in season and sweating up because she’d been stabled next to the rowdy colt that ran last in the race prior because he “squeezed himself”…well I’d suggest that even if all these factors were identical, the ratings are still subjective due to being calculated by humans.

And here is the big question…why did my horse on SIM get a rating of 106 this year when he ran faster than last year when receiving 113 ?

Both races in South Korea over 7.5 f on a good turf track. Age 6 ran 1:27.16 for 106 yet at age 5 ran 1:27.40 for a 113 rating. Does finishing position come into play even if the opposition is weaker ? I didn’t think so which is why I rated Sunline better than Winx and Octagonal slightly ahead of Lonhro….