Barrier Trials - Yea or Nay?

I dont find them beneficial, are there rules?


Do the jocks have to try or are the instructed to keep a bit in hand?

I find we are having an increase in horses causing problems at the start and not well trained to enter the boxes

Have any horses failed their barrier trial?

Value of them will only be apparent when they are a regular thing and trainers use them to best advantage. Punters expecting something from a few trials involving so few as yet wont see any purpose until it starts saving them money.

Besides winning a barrier trial..there re other aspects like change of tactics, effects of gear / equipment change on running positions of horse etc. Winning a barrier trial doesnt guarantee winning the next race just as same like last race won doesnt guarantee next race to be won.

waste of time

WASTE OF TIME.
A trainer phoned me in the week to ask if he must run my clients baby in a barrier trial or accept in a juvenile race..why would i want to risk a juvenile by letting her run in a trial race against all ages and sometime problem horses..the risk of injury is so much greater in that type of race..barrier trial for juveniles and a one for older horses..
the current way tells nobody anything..nobody is transparent and horses winning finishes down the field next time out and visa versa..hope the trials life span is very short.

It's not a race. It's hard enough understanding real form with WFA and structure and horses trying, making sense of these is nuts. I would argue that the trials tell you very little more than you can take on faith from the trainer and who they engage to ride in a race.

Take the money and do sectional timing properly is my vote. There must be a cost to barrier trials, and whatever it is I get no value from it. Perhaps someone gets real value, I'd be interested to know what it is.

Watch them run you could pick up something useful for the future

First timer winner at Greyville had two trials, never done him any harm !

also NEVER shortened into 1/1000 after the whole world saw it working..in public.

Bob Brogan wrote: First timer winner at Greyville had two trials, never done him any harm !

If the 3rd horse had trialed I think he would have worried that winner

So, here's the thing, MrH - You have the comments on first timers and now you have the Barrier Trials. Yippee ! Please, when you watch a Barrier trial, can you tell me the following?
1)How prepped was the horse for the Barrier Trial ?
2)How has the horse been working, coming into the Barrier Trial ?
3)Based upon both above, what scope for improvement does the horse have ?
4)Breeding is not a perfect Science in determining the best distance for a horse. So, given that the Barrier Trial was over 1000m Grey Poly or 800m Scottsville, what is the best distance of the horse ?
5)When, in the next 2 months will the horse run and what will be its work programme until race time ?

You see, all of this huff and puff about Barrier Trials and First Timer comments has just resulted in very little gain for the customers of Racing.

Because next, you will want a printout of all of the preps etc. But even this will not tell you how the horse looks, how sound the horse is or what the horse's blood picture looks like.

Now, lets look at todays carded runners - there are 98 carded, including reserves and before scratchings. Only two first timers. So, we are more worried about 2 horses than about 96 horses ?
And now you cannot wait to ignore everything that I have written , just so that you can come back at me with the old " but we have form for the raced horses "

Ok, so lets look at my runners for today -
Firstly, if I had to comment about them on Tuesday afternoon, these would be my comments -
Race 1 Bravo Zulu - working as well as always, loves course and distance, big runner !
Race 5 Shifting Gears - ignore latest, was incubating virus. Working very well, back to best at home, include in everything if she gets in. Reseve Runner 2.

Race 6 Gotoluvher - she is difficult in stalls. Have removed blinkers to help settle her in stalls. Runs from bad draw in order to be loaded late as per number loading system. The handlers in Jhb had her measure but it is not going that way in KZN, yet. Overall though, she is working out of her socks. Could be a small upset type.

Race 7 Mbali - bad draw. Takes on the boys. Probably prefer this1200m, as she nearly got caught in her last win over 1400m. Working very well. Watch.

Race 8 Live In Love - improved at home. Good form comes from Turf. However, I did show her the Poly a few months back whilst unraced. Dangers are 1 and 8. However, this filly should still be worth a good bet.

Now TODAY is raceday. This is what my podcast will contain, to my Owners-
1)Virus just wont let go in yard, has come back again.
2)Coupled with this, we have a suspected case of AHS in the yard. That filly is fighting for her life and we are treating her and monitoring her on the hour, night and day.
3)Bravo Zulu - just did not look "right" on friday. Took a blood and it was poor. Scratched.
4)Gotoluvher - she has been working very well but her blood this morning was very average. All other symptoms are good, but am cautious about her chances.
5)Mbali - ditto Gotoluvher.
6)Live in Love- working exceptionally well, blood perfect. Was unlucky last time, kept wide and bumped. Will love the extra. She is worth a good bet.

So, now you see why I do not like the early comments on first timers and why i do not like Barrier Trials. Comments on first timers should be on racedays and barrier Trials will still not answer many vital questions for Punters.

Its time that racing stopped listening to a few people in power and to their bad ideas and starts to make real efforts for Punters. Like offering raceday comments on all runners by all Trainers.