By MICHAEL GUERIN
Picking a winner at Alexandra Park should be a little less confusing from tonight.
Not exactly easier - just less confusing.
Tonight's meeting is the first under a new Alexandra Park rule in which horses will not change barrier draws regardless of scratchings.
Until tonight when a horse was scratched all runners moved in one position. That could cause punters problems as horses drawn well at one on the second line could often be moved to the less favoured outside of the front line because of a scratching on the front line which moved all horses in one place.
That will now change. Most Alexandra Park fields will now have only one emergency. If there is a scratching the emergency will take the draw of the horse who was scratched.
For example, if the horse drawn barrier two is scratched then the emergency will start from barrier two and all other horses will remain in their original draws.
In fields without an emergency if there is a scratching on the front line it will reduce to seven runners.
"The most important thing for punters to remember is that from now on if a horse is drawn on the second line it will stay there regardless of how many scratchings there are," said ATC racing boss Robert Death.
"We hope this move will end confusion for punters and mean those who want to start planning their punting and their Pick Six earlier in the week or even the night before the races don't have to wait for the scratchings on race morning."
The new policy brings Alexandra Park into line with Cambridge and while it will not greatly affect tonight's meeting because of the smallish fields, it could be a major factor in coming weeks when betting on races like the New Zealand Juvenile Championship and Taylor Mile will be very reliant on barrier draws.
The move has the support of northern horseman and Death says to be fair to owners and trainers in major races two emergencies will be included in the fields to give as many horses as possible a chance of starting in our best races.
Racing: Barrier rule will help to ease confusion
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