River Romeo: Performances Were Zero-Rated

Understanding how the handicappers work

The National Horseracing Authority Handicappers have responded to a request for clarity from a Sporting Post reader after Betway Summer Cup entry River Romeo was noted to have held his merit rating of 101 for seven consecutive unplaced runs.

Fredrick Cochrane asked on the SP comments platform recently why ‘River Romeo has been a 101 for his last 7 races – he hasn’t run a place for a year and in many races has finished more than 30 lengths behind. Is there a particular reason why the rating hasn’t come down?’

The Sporting Post approached the NHA for clarity.

It was noted that River Romeo was accorded a rating of 101 after beating the top class Puerto Manzano in a Pinnacle Plate on 16 September 2023 at Turffontein.

Here is his formline.

Chief Handicapper Lennon Maharaj responded and explained that the Handicappers only consider a downwards reassessment for a horse that won 2 or more races after it completes 3 meritorious runs subsequent to its latest win. Maiden winners are eligible for a downwards reassessment after 2 meritorious runs.

“River Romeo did not drop in his Merit Rating for six unplaced runs since his latest win because he did not meet the above criteria. He was found to be unsound after at least three of those runs, finished a distance behind the winner on one occasion and ran over an unsuitable distance on another occasion. The Handicappers felt that at least 4 of his runs, since his last win, were not meritorious. In other words, those 4 poor runs could not be solely attributed to his Merit Rating but rather, were a consequence of the other issues highlighted above,” added Lennon.

He concluded that River Romeo returned from a small rest and appeared to be sound and was given every chance from a handy position in his latest appearance on 12 October. The Handicappers also took into consideration that he had not won or placed in over a year and dropped him from 101 to his current mark of 98.

Have Your Say - *Please Use Your Name & Surname

Comments Policy
The Sporting Post encourages readers to comment in the spirit of enlightening the topic being discussed, to add opinions or correct errors. All posts are accepted on the condition that the Sporting Post can at any time alter, correct or remove comments, either partially or entirely.

All posters are required to post under their actual name and surname – no anonymous posts or use of pseudonyms will be accepted. You can adjust your display name on your account page or to send corrections privately to the EditorThe Sporting Post will not publish comments submitted anonymously or under pseudonyms.

Please note that the views that are published are not necessarily those of the Sporting Post.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Share:

Facebook
WhatsApp
Twitter

Popular Posts