Bracketing stablemates is a desperate, foolish cry from disgruntled punters

There is a frequently voiced view among our colleagues in the Chinese media that racing is desperately in need of the bracketing of stablemates in races, for the salvation of punters.

We could never imagine the Jockey Club implementing such a stupid, turnover-destroying move as bracketing but, according to some Chinese media people, public polls on the idea have been extremely positive.

We can only assume that is an emotional, disgruntled choice brought about by a longer-priced stablemate that once knocked out their own bet one day as few, if any, rank and file punters would understand anything at all about what bracketing means.

The concept would have its greatest impact in the top level races, where a few trainers dominate, so in the interests of public information we thought we would use Sunday's National Day Cup as an example. A field of 12, with just seven trainers involved, the National Day Cup was typical of Premier and even Class One races. Three of the trainers, Tony Cruz, Caspar Fownes and John Moore had multiple runners - Helene Pillaging, Fokine and Happee Owner (Cruz), The Duke, Green Treasure and Saturn (Fownes) and Art Trader and Tiber (Moore) - and their odds would all have changed dramatically under a system of bracketing.

Fancy Helene Pillaging? $100 for every $10 in the betting last Sunday, but $15 for every $10 with the Cruz runners bracketed and naturally so were Fokine and Happee Owner.

A Caspar Fownes fan and fancy a dabble on his first effort with Green Treasure? Or how about the good stayer Saturn resuming fresh from a break?