Handicapping (was:TOO MANY CHAMPIONS)

[guest@endurance.net]

k s swigart   katswig@earthlink.net
Truman said:

> However, there are handicapped events. Most stakes horse races very
careful
> attention is paid to the weight the horse carries and the races are even
> handicapped, one horse carrying more than another. There is a definate
> precedent for weight being considered in a equine timed events, i.e. a
race.

It is meaningful, however, to note that this handicapping is done for the
purpose of getting all the horses to cross the finish line at the same
time.  Not because they want to determine which is the best horse, but
rather because if you handicap the race so that all the horses might cross
the finish line at the same time, then the betting becomes more
interesting.

The handicapping system in horse racing (of which weight carried is but a
small part, making rules so that horses only compete in their own class is
a bigger part of it) is specifically designed so that any horse in the
race MIGHT win, whether it is the best horse or not.

kat
Orange County, Calif.