RACING MERIT

1. Horses to be assessed on the racing performance throughout the yar under review, with consideration being given to their classification/handicap rating of the previous year.
2. it is not be assumed that a horse will perform to a consistent Rating on each racecourse performance.
3. In evaluating the performance of a horse in any particular race, recognition should be given to the current ratings of the horses finishing in close proximity, and judgement made as to the overall quality of the race. From this judgement individual race ratings are apportioned to each competitor.
4. It is not unusual for a horse of a previously perceived ability to run considerably above or below that ability. In such circumstances undue attention should not be given to the horse in question, neither in the context of devaluing the merit of the race overall, nor exaggerating the individual performance. In such instances an exception may be made if: a. It is the horse’s final performance and therefore cannot be disproved. b. There are valid reasons for a subsequent bad run. c. It is it’s only run over the distance.
5. With the exception of outstanding individual performances it is desirable for horses meriting inclusion in the Classifications to achieve a measure of consistency at the level relevant to the subsequent Rating.
6. In assigning a Rating to a horse it should be ensured that common sense and logic are applied in conjuction with the accepted principles of race assessment. Inteligent interpretation of overall performance must always be the final criterion for judgement.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1. The following scale is an approximate guide for assessment of a horse’s performance in a particular race, where the winning distance is 2 lengths or less:
5f - 3lbs per length
6f - 2.5lbs per length
7-9f - 2lbs per length
10-13f - 1.5lbs per length
14f+ - 1lb per length
This scale is based on a good to fast surface and diminishes as the surface becomes slower. Distances between placed horses may be underexpressed.
2 the pace withing a race is an indication of the reliability of the performance. Inadequate pace on a slow surface is frequently unreliable as a guide to a horse’s true merit.
3. If races are slowly run, the opportunity arises for moderate horses to finish closer than their overall performance might indicate is likely.
4. If there is no basis for discussion in the assessment of a lower tier race the interpretation of the domestic racing official should be acknowledged.
5. Performances in early season Graded/Group races are frequently discredited later in the year. However, it should be noted that some horses will be trained specifically for such races, and can therefore be expected to put up their best performance in those races. This should be acknowledged in the assessment of their final Rating.
6. Horses’ ratings are evaluated on the basis of their relativity to the competitors against which they run, not on the perceived status of the race or races which they win.

Merit Ratings of South African horses for the 2000/2001 season. Ratings are designed to fit in with the International Classification, which are published annually world-wide for major racing countries.

The Classifications are intended to present on a seasonal basis an agreed framework of ratings, reflecting the relative abilities of horses racing at the highest level of competition in Southern Africa. Classifications provide a retrospective evaluation of performances as measured against a constant scale, thereby facilitating qualitative judgements between one generation and another.
For the purpose of Classifications horses included are winners of Graded and Listed events, together with placed horses in any Graded race. Any horse achieving a seasonal rating of 110 or higher in any of these races has been included. The published rating is the highest achieved by a horse during the season.
The aptitude shown is the distance category at which the horse has shown itself to be at its most effective. Categories are based in the International Classifications: S (sprint, 1000m up), M (mile, 1400m up), I (intermediate, 1900m up), L (long, 2200m up), and Extended (2800m up).

Winners of 'black type races' together with those that placed in the first four in a Graded Race . Minimum Rating for listing: 90

2yo's
3yo's
4yo's and up
Sires