Matt Stewart alluded to it today and events at Flemington this afternoon only confirmed it.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/superracing/much-to-look-foward-to-in-2012/story-fn67siys-1226234382817HE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
RENOWNED nark John Hawkes never liked the idea of numbered track ratings.
When it was announced a few years back that tracks would be not just be rated heavy, slow, dead, good and fast - but would range from Heavy 10 to Fast 1 - his response was something like: "They can't even get a good right, what hope a Good 3?"
Hawkes was on the money.
Numbered ratings sounded good in theory because they would be more specific, more helpful to punters and trainers, than the broad deads, goods and fasts.
Problem is, the ratings bear little resemblance to the surface.
Every track manager wants to achieve a Good 3 because it sounds perfect. The official RVL website description of a Good 3 is: "An ideal track with some give."
So what's happened?
Almost every track comes up a Good 3, or starts as a Dead 4 with the promise of a Good 3 by race time.
Anything different and the track manager feels like he's failed.
Flemington recently was rated a Good 3.
The times suggested it was a Good 2. There are heaps of other examples.
The losers are the punters, of course, and the trainers, who race on an "ideal" Good 3 then put the horse's legs in a bucket of ice when it gets home.
First race was rated at a Dead 5.
How this was even possible after the heat and dry Melbourne has had the past week was beyond comical and the times proved it..
Race 1 a 0-82 over 1000 on the Dead 5 they ran 56.63.
Now my base rating for the 1000 at Flem is 57.4 at a rating of between 3-4. Now either the winner is exceptionally brilliant or the track rating is miles off.
Immediately the rack is upgraded to Dead 4.
In the third race they run 82.69 for the 1400 on the Dead 4. Unbelievable time for a F&M 0-82
Then we get to the Standish by which time the track is now a Good 3.
Two track upgrades in 3 hours.
The winner Catapulted is a very good horse. Gr 2 at his best.
He runs 67.66 for the 1200.
My base is 69.2.
That is a ridiculous time for a Good 3. Even on a Fast 1 he is rating Gr 1 figures (and above).
Notwithstanding that there is room for error with my base figures and that Catapulted was a huge run, I would say the track today at Flemington was a Fast 0 or even almost a Fast -1.
And that was from Race 1.
Definitely not a Dead 5.
IMO the track figures these days are not worth the paper their printed on. I've seen Heavy 8's that were actually Heavy 12's as well so it works both ways.
I feel sorry for the poor track managers as surely they are under instructions to produce Dead 4s and 5s.
The stewards talk about integrity etc but its obvious to all and sundry that the track ratings as they stand are a farce.
