Misleading Official Merit Ratings

Thanks to the stupid rules that the NHRA have in place we again have a clear example of misleading official MRs at Fairview today.
The 3yo filly What A Player has an official MR of 78. At her penultimate start she showed good improvement when a close up 2nd to Cloud Atlas in receipt of 2kg. Cloud Atlas is a 92, so that run was an 88. At her last start she was a good third at level weights to Luna Child, just behind stable mate Queen Forever. These two fillies are rated 98 and 101 respectively. Based on Luna Child’s rating, What a Player ran a 96 last time, and QF 97.
As these two runs were in conditions races, WAP rating could not be increased.
So Joe Public sees a filly rated 78 against the two top colts rated 97 and 93, and despite the 2.5kg allowance would conclude that she is at least 5kg under sufferance with them, and 11.5kg under sufferance with Queen Forever.
In fact, she is the second best weighted behind Queen Forever, and is a lively runner, not a no hoper as might be construed from the official ratings.

To put the extent of this distortion in perspective, if What a Player were running in a handicap race off her current rating, she would win by 10 lengths.
It’s a travesty.

Thanks Peter

The place at 9/10 was a steal.

thank you

Peter you are a scholar and a gentleman of the racing game!!

If the NHRA want to constrain MR’s rather concede weight allowances in the race conditions but please manage credible MR’s.


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