Bonkers we still don't have unified handicap marks - and it's the Irish system we should adopt

Finally, the fog has lifted. Since the handicap entries for the Cheltenham Festival came out in mid-February punters have been in a state of limbo, wondering what the make-up of the races would be, which Irish horses would get a bonus 8lb to carry, who would get in and who wouldn't. Even if your fancy is British-trained and you know its mark, you need to know what you're going to be up against.

It makes the early entry stage all but pointless from a punting perspective as, without the shape of the race, it is nigh on impossible to delve into any of the nine handicaps. Quite why we need separate marks for British and Irish races is beyond me. There is enough of a crossover between the two pools of horses for the two sets of handicappers to be able to come up with a way of handicapping their respective horse populations so British and Irish marks are comparable and transferable.

Racing Post Ratings and other private handicappers manage it, while the end-of-season Anglo-Irish jumps classification prove harmony between the two can be reached. If we can agree marks for the very best horses, why is doing so for handicappers so difficult?