DAVE THE KING retained his official merit rating of 128 following his victory in the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday. The Handicappers determined that he had performed to his mark and used him as the benchmark for assessing the race, given that he won this event last year. 

Three runners received merit rating increases: 

• ORIENTAL CHARM (2^nd): Up from 125 to 127
• GLADATORIAN (3^rd): Raised from 123 to 127

• COSMIC SPEED (4^th): Adjusted from 125 to 126 

Meanwhile, four horses had their ratings reduced: 

• ROYAL AUSSIE: Dropped from 124 to 122
• CAFÉ CULTURE: Lowered from 128 to 126
• PURPLE PITCHER: Trimmed from 123 to 122

• MONTIEN: Reduced from 129 to 126—while he raced wide and tired in the straight, the Handicappers noted that he had not subsequently confirmed the 129 performance he produced in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate, where he finished second to the 132-rated ONE STRIPE while conceding 5kg under Weight for Age terms. The re-assessment of this horse was not based on his disappointing run in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge but on his two previous performances. 

HKJC WORLD POOL TIBOUCHINA STAKES (Grade 2) 

GREEN SAPPHIRE’S official merit rating has been raised from 104 to 109 after her victory in the Grade 2 HKJC World Pool Tibouchina Stakes for fillies and mares over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville. The Handicappers agreed to use fourth-place finisher OXALIS GOLD as the line horse, keeping her rating unchanged at 107. 

Five other runners earned rating increases: 

• CALLMEGETRIX (2nd place): Up from 99 to 108 for outperforming the 107-rated line horse under Weight for Age conditions.
• MINOGUE (3rd place): Adjusted from 107 to 108.
• SOVEREIGN GRANT (5th place): Increased from 99 to 103.
• SONIC JET (6th place): Raised from 95 to 102.

• SOHOT SOWHAT (8th place): Up from 94 to 101. 

These changes were made to align with Handicap rules and maintain correct rankings for future eliminations. However, unplaced runners were not fully rated for their performances due to the compact finish, which may have flattered them. 

No merit rating reductions were issued for any runners. 

HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS CUP TRIAL (Grade 3) 

MADISON VALLEY’S official merit rating was increased from 113 to 115 following his victory in the Grade 3 Hollywoodbets Cup Trial over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Greyville. The Handicappers identified runner-up UNDERWORLD as the appropriate line horse, keeping his rating at 109. Third-place finisher ON MY HONOUR also performed to his mark, effectively making him another a line horse as well. 

Four horses had their ratings reduced: 

• THUNEE PLAYA: Lowered from 105 to 104.
• HOTARUBI: Dropped from 112 to 109.
• PONTE PIETRA: Reduced from 108 to 106.

• PACAYA: Adjusted downward from 118 to 115. 

4RACING JUBILEE STAKES (Grade 3) 

IMMEDIATE EDGE saw his official merit rating rise from 102 to 108 after a dominant win in the Grade 3 4Racing Jubilee Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein Racecourse on Sunday. The Handicappers chose OLIVIA’S WAY (second place) and ATTICUS FINCH (third place) as benchmarks, keeping their ratings at 112 and 121, respectively. 

Despite delivering a performance beyond the 108 level, IMMEDIATE EDGE’S rating was capped at 108 due to race conditions limiting increases for winners to six points and prohibiting adjustments for placed runners. 

Notably, IMMEDIATE EDGE had his rating increased from 94 to 101 for an unplaced finish in the Grade 1 SA Derby - a figure that was swiftly validated by his subsequent performances. However, his official rating does not fully reflect his rapid improvement or current ability due to the applied ratings protection, making it somewhat misleading. Furthermore, the rating protection received here is negated in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, as IMMEDIATE EDGE will carry 53kg under the race conditions, effectively competing off a gross rating of 117 if the weights were to be finalised today. 

Two horses had their ratings reduced: 

• LA MOOHAL: Dropped from 95 to 93.

• INFINITE WONDER: Adjusted from 100 to 96. 

Enquiries:

The Handicapping Team