Random Race of the week - 100m Masters

After the failure to get many votes last week with a 1600m I will try a different race. What do we think?

Looks like you already have more votes (40+) than some gifts get Mex so based on that maybe a masters event each week would go down nicely.

Interesting to see some of the names on the list, many would make an open gift final if firing so curious to see who runs and has a crack here.

Near impossible to pick a winner though....

With 50 votes at the time of writing it will be interesting to see how this one plays out. I agree with OldandSlow here that a number of the 'aged to perfection' athletes could be in gift finals starting with our first fancied athlete.

Leigh Phelan 2.75m 12% - 'Lethal' Leigh Phelan is a definite chance each time he steps on the track. He only knows one way and that is flat out. I am not sure if he is still up from the old worlds but one thing is for sure if he makes the final you are in for a fight. Final for me but others may hold him off.

Simon Jackson 3m 12% - Simon 'Peter' Jackson is another quality athletes in this field. He has shown plenty over the last few years to suggest that off 3m he can be very dangerous. Interesting to see him running, I would think he may miss and pinch something later on or a bigger final at least.

Jonathon Rogers 7m 16% - 'Buck' Rogers went close last season at Stawell. He should make the final here and definitely should win one soon. Not sure how many races he has won over 100m or 120m but it cant be many. Make sure you watch him if he runs the 300m, pretty sure he will blow up before the line. Podium, will go close.

Scott Rowsell 7m 16% - Rowsell is a good looking athlete who should also win something soon. He obviously looks after himself as well as mentoring a number of quality athletes. Not sure what his focus is but he could win a masters event at any stage. Probably in a fight with Rogers and Hilditch for the win.

John Hilditch 11.25m 12% - Hilditch has been pulled for his Terang win but is still a huge chance to go back to back. He has lost a half but was clear of second place Shillito and third place Boyle. Rogers also didn't get him. This puts him right in it and I think at least a podium again. Continued his good form from Worlds.

Pretty good field here too.

Very hard to pick winner in poll if Yorke is not in entries. Also 800m was a farce with Young Hoare on big mark and winning by length of straight. What's going on here? Handy field of backmarkers too, never got into race. Rumour going around winner was given female handicap. I don't usually believe rumours.

The 800m winner was a 16 year old.
First open 800m start?
Novice mark is 40m for a male and 110m for a female.
Should have had 40m.
First name Geordie so could have been confused for Georgie?
He had 120m so can you assume he got the female novice plus 10m? Not sure why the plus 10m though.
He won a junior race at Sandringham so should be known by handicappers, stewards, handicrap review panel.

Not good enough. We have a handicrap review panel that should be doing the easy checks and balances just in case one slips past the handicapper.

Not the kids fault. He ran hard off the mark he was given.

An apology to all 800m runners would be the least the VAL could do. No-one else given a chance. A refund for all 800m runners would be a fair.

Forgot to add that the handicapper is fairly new to the sport. For only his 4th meet and large entries he deserves better guidance then he received. That is where the handicrap review panel needs to step up and be even more diligent.

Right on the mark there Ribera, apology would go a long way to showing some responsibility to what happened on the weekend in the 800.

Was disappointing seeing runners dragged in for not trying to win a race which in the end was unwinnable (is that a word).

Just hope a lesson has been learnt and that in future novice runners get a novice mark to begin, the HRP in this instance seems to be lacking in care & responsibility for which there existence is supposed to provide.