CONDITIONS RACES
Firstly let me say I am not having a go at anyone who has entered a horse in conditions races - they are doing so within the rules. I am also not writing this because I have a horse I want to benefit.
However, we were told that the Conditions race format would take a few years to level out before they achieved their goal! I argued that the current format would never achieve the desired goal, as a horse rated 20-30 pounds higher than its competition isn’t going to shy away from a few extra pounds. “Oh yes they will” was the response I got.
The 1st race at Garthorpe proves my point. The Conditions race Level 2 has a horse rated 125, won 2 Opens last season. These races, I thought, were not designed for these horses - I believed they were supposed to push Open horses in to Opens and to allow those horses who struggle to make that grade, a chance to be competitive.
No wonder we struggle to introduce/retain horse numbers.
Anyone who thinks these Conditions races are working are kidding themselves. It is so frustrating to see that a few years on we have lost (on the whole) our Members race and Confined/adjacent races and the very races that have supposedly replaced them are nothing more than disguised Mixed Opens. Even less opportunity for the lesser grade horse.
I am sure I heard Ben say on Pointing Pointers not long ago that the Conditions races were working - just look at Garthorpe and tell me you are right?? Really???
I sincerely hope that those in charge are reconsidering the format of the conditions races, before it’s too late.
We MUST cater for everyone in our sport.
I admit to spending most of the time from the onset of the levels with being under the misapprehension that they were meant to push horses upwards only to find, near the end of PWs tenure, that the levels merely referred to the year the exclusions/penalties were being applied from and nothing to do with trying to produce progressive races 🤦♀️