Apprentices to benefit

APPRENTICE riders are set to be the major beneficiaries of a review into thoroughbred handicapping.

From next season, apprentices will be able to claim on horses in all open races, excluding group and listed events.

The initiative was part of policy changes stemming from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s (NZTR) annual handicap review meetings.

NZTR has also made minor changes to the rating bands in race programmes.

The current rating 75 and 85 races will be replaced with rating 72 and 82 grades from next season. Opengrade races effectively become those with horses of rating 83 and higher.

The maiden and rating 65 grades are unaffected, but the handicapping of all races will change.

Two key changes have been made to make the new rating bands and programming a success.

From June 1, most races will have a maximum rerating penalty of 12 points for the winner, which can make racing in a higher grade more attractive.

The maximum rerating will not apply to group and listed or restricted age races.

Jumps races and maiden flat races will also be excluded from the 12point ceiling.

All maiden winners will be rerated at 62 points, unchanged from the previous policy.

From August 1, changes to weight scales in the existing and newly established grades mean horses racing in higher grades than those they are eligible for will not carry a weight disadvantage as they do under the previous rules.

This aligns weights across all grades and combined with the maximum rerating policy of 12 points is aimed to open up more racing opportunities.