THE one obvious point when reviewing the handicap grades for the Red John Memorial weekend is that horsemen are working the current system to ensure that their runners are kept in the ‘worst company’ to plagiarise the old saying.

The country simply cannot be coming down with lower grade horses. In any given sample across the racing population, there should be roughly the same amount of horses across all the grades.

I have long been an advocate of a discretional system or at least more use of discretion.

As things stand, we see a winner of over €120,000 sticking out in the F grade, some of last year’s winners in this same field still off the same mark and a winner of around 14 races in the last three seasons, off a ‘lofty’ F grade.

A prize money won system and a set number of runs towards a drop in grade enables horsemen to ‘sculpt’ a mark for their horse.

When a leading trainer over jumps is asked in the immediate aftermath of a good win ‘Where next for this fella?’ the answer often is ‘We’ll just have to see what the handicapper gives him’.

As things stand with the IHRA, the trainer knows the minute the race ends exactly what grade the horse now is, and I fail to see the logic of this.

In harness racing at the moment there is very little to encourage a horse owner to ‘aim big’ and try to race in the best grades, an awful pity as you don’t want to write anything negative about the sport.

The current system is flawed and will probably mean that the hottest finishes and most exciting races will come in the lower grade paces and trots because that is where all the ‘decent’ horses are situated.

On a more positive note, when you have three or four handicap certainties that end up in the same heat then this will make for exciting racing.

Also, even though Ger Heggarty’s track at Lyre is a fantastic flat field it is still a field and some of today’s finely-bred horses can make the odd skip at a bump or a hollow. These variables mean that the only certainty at the Red John is that some big reputations will be burst on the day.

The setting, the bar, the hot food and the ambience rivals the Kinsale point-to-point.

The Grade A trot will see a rematch between Tyrone and Cork as Abraham and Vigo de Bassiere file in behind the car. Preference is given to the former although the Sheehys will have ‘Vigo’ as fit as the proverbial flea.

As noted in the opening remarks, the like of Silvano Bello, Tenor Meslois and El Tejar are in embarrassingly low grades for their class of animal. Besame Mucho would be a more backable proposition on a hard track, if he handles the grass he will go close.

On the pacing front this meeting is very much the Murphy’s back yard and their American partner and meeting sponsor Bill Donovan will be hoping for success.

The three-year-olds look a weak enough bunch and IB Notorius should have the class to win this..

The Kelleher runners looked to be coming into form at Portmarnock recenty and the mare Pan Cam Drift could uphold Cork honour in the top grade pace.

Gentleman Jim will take all the beating in the Grade C pace. Benny Camden is entered as being trained by Tadhg Murphy – an interesting recipe.

On Top Big C is many people’s idea of the banker of the meeting, while King Wills Arrival and young Oisin Quill will make the rest work for it in the Grade Ds.

Whatever money you are in front going into the last race, invest some of it in the local delicacy ‘Cod a la Barney Bradfield’, the safest bet of the day.