Is MR System To Blame For Small Daily News Field?

See It Again prevailed in the Daily News 2000 in 2023 in a field of ten and the field might have been around that number this year had there not been injury enforced layoffs to two key players. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

The merit rating system is being blamed by quite a few for the small field of seven in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000, which follows a small field of the same number in the Gr 1 Splashout Cape Derby.

The problem they say is horses are scared to run against higher rated horses because if they finish close to them they will receive big merit rated raises and hence the small fields.

However, looking at the Daily News 2000 final fields and scratchings, blaming the merit rating system is a touch unfair.

Firstly, Johanneburg’s best three-year-old, Fire Attack, is out with a foot issue and would otherwise likely have been an entry, considering he is merit rated 126, just one point lower than the Daily News’s top rated runner Eight On Eighteen.

He would have lined up together with his Gr 1 TAB SA Classic conqueror, Confederate, who will run on Saturday off a 118 merit rating.

Sail The Seas has the same rating as Eight On Eighteen, 127, and the Daily News 2000 was actually his main mission, but he is also sidelined with a minor issue.

With Fire Attack and Sail The Seas in the race it would have seen the two best middle distance three-year-ols from the north clashing with the two best middle distance three-year-olds from the south.

The only other three-year-olds who could have challenged the superiority of those four would have been Legend Of Arthur, the filly Fiery Pegasus and the smart Garrix.

Garrix was beaten 3,75 lengths by Eight On Eighteen in the Splashout Cape Derby and opted to stay at home. He will be tested over the Cape Derby trip category again on Sunday when he runs over 1950m in the Listed Pocket Power Stakes.

Legend Of Arthur was beaten 4,10 lengths in the Gr 1 TAB SA Classic by Confederate, so it makes sense to avoid the Daily News 2000 and get him into the Hollywoodbets Durban July with a low weight. It is hardly the merit rating system’s fault that the country’s most prestigious race, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, is a handicap of sorts. That is not to say it shouldn’t be a handicap as that is what makes it the intriguing race it is with a build up second to none.

Fiery Pegasus was withdawn from the Hollywoodbets Durban July earlier today (wednesday) as Joe Soma was not happy with where she was at after an ultra game front-running victory in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks, which would have taken a lot out of her. He will preserve her for next season.

In any case the Daily News entry Spumante Dolce beat Fiery Pegasus when winning the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas and her well beaten run behind the latter in the Gr 1 TAB SA Fillies Classic over 1800m was clearly not her run. As a three parts sister to July winner Sparkling Water, Spumante Dolce could prove a point on Saturday.

So to blame the merit rating system for the small field was a knee jerk reaction.

Setbacks to two horses, Fire Attack and Sail The Seas, robbed it of being one of the races of the season, a middle distance three-year-old show down between north and south, with a classy filly who is unexposed over the trip also adding interest to the race.

There could still have been a bigger field, but would they have not just been making up numbers as there are no three-year-ols in the country, other than the ones mentioned above, who are capable of challenging Eight On Eighteen over 2000m?