Dear Mr. Hawkins,
Graeme Hawkins
Following our recent telephone discussion and the reading of much comment on the selection of the Durban July Handicap runners, I feel that I have to take the matter further and write to you on an open letter basis.
My horse “Jet Belle” is a filly with a very good racing record and passes all the criteria suggested by Gold Circle to enter the Durban July. Her claims are Group 1 places, course and distance suited and much improving as evidenced by her recent very close defeat in the Group 1 Woolavington running very close to the selected horse “Do you remember”. She is in good form and could be part of a July finish that the racing crowds enjoy, since her style is a late burst with tremendous progress in the last couple of hundred metres.
I am being careful not to turn disappointment into a personal “moan” but I do feel that I have a genuine grievance. When I supplemented “Jet Belle” I had reasonable expectations of a run and good performance. I do not think the panel seriously considered my claim and the criteria for real expectations as ignored despite my supplement fee.
I understand that the international protocol for selecting fields for graded handicap races precludes the involvement of anyone but the handicappers. Your continuing point to me was that the handicappers don’t know what they are doing anyway and this years’ rating of 3 year olds, particularly fillies, was abysmal. You stated that the ratings for horses like “Jet Belle” and “Do you remember” were skewed by “Cherry on the Top’s” unjustified high rating. This poses the question. How on earth are owners and trainers expected to assess which races to enter their horses if the professional handicappers have got no clue as to what they are doing?
I don’t understand why a weight is not set for the top rated horse and the field is then selected from descending order against merit rating. This removes all favouritism and ad hoc selection behind closed doors and allowing owners and trainers to be part of a transparent easily understood process.
This leaves me as owner of “Jet Belle” in a dilemma. She can’t race at the top because the administrators regard her as not good enough. In assessing her weight to be carried for future races the handicappers will consider her to be MR 105 and therefore she will carry more weight in Group 3 and listed which you suggest is probably her limit anyway. This puts me into the position that I have to approach the handicappers to have her MR lowered to the mid 90’s which will work wonders for her ongoing breeding value. It makes no sense but either you have got it wrong or the handicappers have. Such divergence of assessment is very worrying for me as an owner since I am relying on the handicapping system to make racing decisions.
The ZAR 25,000 supplementary fee was unfair when one considers that supplementing “Jet Belle” was not a serious proposition to the “behind doors” selection panel. The suggestion that I might be returned the ZAR 25,000 cheapened my approach and quite frankly added another dimension to the unreasonable discretion that certain officials consider they might have.
I never failed to attend the Durban July but this field is not representative of the improving quality of South African racing. I had the pleasure of seeing “Shea Shea” winning in Dubai and very nearly at Ascot. This filled me with hope and wellbeing for South Africa’s comparative racing performance against the rest of the world. The way I have been treated by Gold Circle suggest something quite different. The message is that this is a closed club. Circle there is but certainly not a gold one.
I would like you to formally reply to my letter and post it publically for the sake of transparency.
Regards,
Colin Bird
