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.
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.
