Back by popular demand, our second “Evening with the Handicapper.”
After the success of our first “evening with the handicapper” event back in 2012, we were delighted the second event was just as well received and informative. Europe’s Chief Handicapper Dominic Gardner-Hill gave a fascinating insight into the world of handicapping to 75 Heart of the South Racing owners and their guests.
A keen racing enthusiast from a young age, he obviously lives and breaths handicapping and it was a pleasure to listen to someone so passionate about their profession. And who wouldn’t be considering they were responsible for giving arguably the worlds best ever racehorse- Frankel – his rating of 140.
He also talked about new developments in the pipeline when it comes to race planning and handicapping, some of which sound brilliant and will help trainers place our horses a great deal. For example, 76 rated horses will soon be able to run in 0-75 handicaps, carrying a 1lb overweight?
Channel 4 Racing presenter Simon Holt chaired the event and guests were able to submit questions in advance about ratings of specific horses and handicapping in general. The discussion raised many questions and guests went home with a new found respect for the UK’s team of handicappers, whose job of “being fair to everyone” is far from straightforward.
The event was held at Cisswood House Hotel next door to Gary Moore’s Cisswood Stables which were specially opened during the evening so that visiting owners were also able to see their horses.
Proceeds from the event went to Simon and Dominic’s chosen charities, Moorcroft Racehorse Sanctuary and Sussex Air Ambulance and we are already in talks to hold a similar event in the future, with the addition of Stewards and officials from the BHA. Thank you to all owners who attended, and an extended thank you to Dominic and Simon for giving up their valuable time.