Older horses in novice races doesn't sit well with me - and here's how we tackle it

We are all aware of the weight-for-age scale; it is there to give younger horses a chance when competing against their elders. Should Milton Harris opt to go for the Supreme with four-year-old Scriptwriter, he would receive 10lb from his rivals to compensate for the fact he has not had the same time to reach full physical maturity.

The problem, however, is the weight-for-age scale stops at five, an age at which a decent percentage of jumps horses have not even made their debuts. We expect a four-year-old, taking on those aged five or six, to be at a physical disadvantage. But is the same also not true of six-year-olds taking on those aged seven, eight or nine?

To emphasise the point, 19 of the top 20 Racing Post Ratings achieved this season in Britain or Ireland over jumps are by horses aged seven or older, the exception being Constitution Hill, who – outstandingly – registered his rating when still a five-year-old. Moreover, of the 23 who remain in the Gold Cup, four are seven, eight are eight, nine are nine and then there is one ten-year-old and a 12-year-old. Across the three open Grade 1 championship chases, there are no horses aged five or six even entered, but there are six seven-year-olds. The evidence shows that jumps horses do not stop improving physically at five and it takes until they are seven or eight to become fully formed.