It seems that the BHA have paid some attention to the analysis here. Blake's points about ratings inflation are unarguable.Originally Posted by JamesRB
The starting point for the BHA handicappers* when assessing performances is to check the ratings given to previous winners of the race in question, and to then award a mark at a similar level. Kevin Blake suggests that one of the reasons for this approach is a desire to maintain the dubious status of a bloated programme of Graded races.
His cure is to replace the lesser graded races with handicaps, as if we don't have enough of them already. Better instead to tweak the handicapping methodology than to scrap the majority of graded races.
* Maybe the Irish handicappers work in the same way, but we know less about this because, unlike their British colleagues, they don't publish regular explanations
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