Beggars can’t be choosers but the two jobs in racing I would least relish would to be a jockey’s agent or a handicapper. I’ve never been over fond of the telephone; I’d owned a mobile for a year before it rang, and the thought of ringing grumpy trainers at dawn fills me with dread and apprehension, let alone informing the jockeys I represent that they’ve got another day off. I am full of admiration for top agents Dave Roberts and Tony Hind, and how Racing TV presenter Niall Hannity can spend the morning booking rides for his entourage and then face the cameras at some far-flung outpost, leaves me speechless.
The handicapper faces an impossible task. How can you ever have a good day when the level of excellence you strive for is to see 15 horses in a handicap flash past the winning post separated by a whisker? It’s never going to happen. Also the phone comes into play here too, because the grouchy trainer who gave short shrift to an agent just minutes ago, is haranguing you for putting his horse up 7lbs for beating, for what he or she perceives, as a load of donkeys.
The actual process of handicapping is probably fascinating, studying and assessing form, and probably re-evaluating a race that you initially thought was better than it has turned out, and vice versa. It becomes a never-ending circle, and is your end game to give a horse a chance of victory by reducing its handicap rating, or to penalise a winning horse so severely that it may never win again? A horse can rocket up the ratings by, say a stone, after a couple of wins and then take the rest of its racing career to fall to a level where it can win again.
Denne historien er fra July 2021-utgaven av Racing Ahead.
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Denne historien er fra July 2021-utgaven av Racing Ahead.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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CAL'S UP TO TOP SPEED
John Anthony keeps close watch on the top ranking track fliers
ACTION REPLAY
Graham Buddry recalls the exploits of legendary hurdler Large Action
SHADOW IN THE LIMELIGHT
lan Heitman follows the fortunes of next year’s leading Classic prospects
GONE WILDE
Rolf Johnson fears the effects of a thoroughbred market bubble’
DIGGING OUT THE JUMPERS
The former Sky Racing frontman is all geared up for the change of codes and clothing
MORE AMO FOR RALPH
Dave Youngman shares the joy and gossip from the Newmarket gallops
GO COSMIC NEXT YEAR
Andy Ayres shares his pick of punting prospects from the autumn action
NICO'S CAREER LEAP TO GLORY
Nick Townsend talks to Nico de Boinville about his life-changing choices
ALL SET FOR FRESH START
Karl Hedley is on the spot for the new season action across Ireland
DAN'S GRAND BID DAWNING
Paul Ferguson tracks a route for Skeltons from Carlisle to Aintree