Mike Dillon: Weighty issue: What the Blue blazes is going on

Blue Breeze at Te Aroha. Photo / Trish Dunell

There's no mystery why we have had sparse numbers of open handicappers in the last couple of seasons.

There is a great example in Blue Breeze in Saturday's $75,000 Campbell Infrastructure Rotorua Cup.

Blue Breeze came from virtual obscurity to win an open handicap at Pukekohe last start off an official rating of 69. He was racing out of his class, but won clearly.

For that he was penalised 16 rating points. Yes, 16!

Highlad copped five rating points for winning an identical race at Te Aroha a few weeks earlier and four points for another identical race at Te Rapa on December 23.

Highlad has won seven races and $207,452, Blue Breeze has won three times for $66,650.

Show The World, weighted at only 1.5kg more than Blue Breeze on Saturday, has won $232,911 from six races and was given 6 points for winning a $50,000 Matamata Open Handicap on February 24.

Another Saturday runner is Richie McHorse. Last start, he won the $75,000 Hawke's Bay Cup, resulting in eight rating points increase. As a result, he comes into the Rotorua Cup with 2kg less than Blue Breeze having won more than double the stakemoney at $134,270.

You can put any interpretation you like on how Blue Breeze has the weight he has. Yes, he was racing out of his class at Pukekohe but if you think it's right and fair you'll be expecting the Tooth Fairy to play prop for the Warriors at the weekend.

So what if he raced out of his class at Pukekohe? If that's meant to be bad we're saying, don't line up if there isn't a race to suit (there wasn't) and if you do we'll make sure you pay the price and stop you winning again any time soon.

That's wrong. It's the ideal way to say to owners, "Make sure you sell your handicapper overseas soon". That's exactly what we are all trying to prevent.

Whatever spin you apply, explain why you think it's fair the $75,000 Hawke's Bay Cup winner Richie McHorse should carry 2kg less than Blue Breeze, who won a minor race at Pukekohe simply because it was the only runner suited by the wet track including the runner-up Comin'through?

If you think it's right, we'd like to hear your reasoning.