BHB Ratings

[cosmicway]

Does any one know how the BHB ratings are derived ? I have some fairly thorough statistical data for horse races in Greece in the last two years and I want to use them to compile a set of ratings. In principle how can one go about doing this ? In Greece we do not have ratings of this type and when the horse ATHINAIOS was taken to Dubai in March, he was given an approximate rating based on the time of his gallop, the day before the race he was entered.

[bowles10]

Re: BHB Ratings Thia may help Handicapping A handicap is a race where horses are allotted weight, based on their ability, to equalize their chances of winning. By giving each horse an equal chance more emphasis is placed on a horse performing to its potential within the race In so doing, the handicapper hopes to make the race exciting and competitive for the owners and other racing enthusiasts, as well as set an interesting challenge for the punters to solve. Allocating the handicap The handicapping system has been centralized since 1973 and the handicappers, of whom six concentrate on Flat racing, three on Jumping, and one divides his time between both codes, are employed by the British Horseracing Board. On the Flat, a horse must have run three times or, in certain circumstances, have run twice, including a win, before it is entered to qualify for a handicap. Once it is qualified, it will be allocated a handicap rating by the handicapper on a scale which runs from 0 upwards. The top horses, who will contest the finishes of the Group One Pattern races, would usually be rated in the 120s, though the average rating on the Flat is currently 59. The same system applies over jumps, with the top horses often rated in the 170s. It is the handicapper's job to assess the performance of individual horses, and amend his rating of them accordingly. He will often use other horses as yardsticks by which to base the performance of a particular runner, and ratings can go up after a win or good run, or go down after a series of bad runs. In Great Britain, approximately half of all races run are handicaps, in which it is the handicapper's job to allot weights to the horses entered with the purpose of equalizing their chances of winning. In so doing, he hopes to make the race exciting and competitive for the owners and other racing enthusiasts, and also to set an interesting challenge for the punters to solve. How the system operates The handicap ratings of all horses are stored on Weatherbys’ computer at Wellingborough. Every time a horse which has a rating runs, the handicapper must decide whether or not to amend its rating. Each week, all such amendments, made after the evaluation of the results of all races run between Sunday and Saturday inclusive, whether in Britain or overseas, must be transmitted to Weatherbys by 9.30 the following Tuesday morning. The ratings are published on the BHB/Weatherbys website later that day, and also appear in the Racing Calendar the following Thursday. Once the horse’s rating has been published, the owner and trainer of the horse can identify those rating related races, both handicaps and non-handicaps (e.g. Classified Stakes and Rating Related Maidens), for which the horse is qualified. These range from selling handicaps, which are usually for horses rated 0-60, and low-grade Classified Stakes (non-handicap races for which qualification is determined by rating), some of which are 0-50’s, right up to the top handicaps. Some of these are restricted to horses rated up to 110, although a few, like the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, have no rating restriction. Over Jumps, races range from 0-90 to 0-150 with, like the Flat, a few handicaps which are unrestricted. When the entries for a handicap are received by Weatherbys, the computer will convert the ratings into weights to be carried by the horses in a particular race. The ratings are calculated in units of 1lb, and the computer will assign the appropriate top weight to the highest-rated horse entered, and calculate the weights of all the other entries relative to that. These weights will then be checked by the handicapper, who will also need to allocate a rating to any qualified entry which does not have a current rating. He will then send the finalised information back to Weatherbys, who will transmit the weights to the Racing Press. Each race is a challenge for the handicapper as well as the punter. While the punter tries to predict the result, the handicapper must interpret what has happened in the race, and adjust his figures as necessary. After a handicap is run, the handicapper will probably have more dissatisfied customers than satisfied ones. However, in his assessment of the result, he will strive to ensure that, when the starter lets them go next time, every owner and trainer hopes and believes that today can be their day.