Irish Rated Chases ...

What card are you looking at?

It is the SAME as a Handicap  - with a 150 top-weight  ...

6:00     15 Euro Admission Rated Chase (5yo+) Winner €13,000 10 runners 2m2f Good ATR

Race Conditions: 20000.00 For 5yo+ that are rated 150 or less Weights 5yo 10st 11lb; 6yo+ 11st 2lb
Penaltiesperformances before May 28th - for every 1lb above the rating of 140 1lb; on or after May 28th - for each race won 6lb Penalty value 1st €13,000.00 2nd €3,800.00 3rd €1,800.00 4th €600.00
NO.     FORM     HORSE     AGE     WGT     TRAINER RTF%     JOCKEY     OR     TS     RPR
1     9463-P         Savello36     9     11-12     A J Martin25     David Mullins5     150     120     159
2     42602-         French Opera49     12     11-10     Nicky Henderson58     Robbie Power     148     146     159
3     51112-         Indevan199     7     11-7     W P Mullins75     R Walsh     145     124     154
4     28316-         Shanpallas200     7     11-7     C Byrnes     Mark Walsh     145     137     155
5     91232-         Darwins Fox55     9     11-6     Henry De Bromhead33     A E Lynch     144     146     155
6     F30-U         Realt Mor8     10     11-6     Gordon Elliott53     Keith Donoghue     144     146     162
7     4F4-41         Real Steel18t     7     11-5     M F Morris50     Bryan Cooper     143     138     159
8     3-5326         Foildubh8     11     11-3     John Patrick Ryan38     Paul Carberry     141     128     160
9     0546-0         Art Of Logistics35     7     11-2     Ms Sandra Hughes     J J Burke     139     144     155
10     0301-P         Gold Bullet35t     7     11-2     T J Taaffe     Brian O'Connell     140     72     155

Look at the adjustments ffs.

Those same, "adjustments,"  also apply to EVERY HANDICAP race that is run.

But they are all running off the same mark, so that is a handicap in my world.

That is what I/we are both saying -

- although - by your 'rationale' -EVERY horse is, "running off," just 52 in this HANDICAP ...
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7:10     Eura Audit UK 30th Anniversary Handicap (CLASS 5) (3yo 0-70) Winner £3,235 11 runners 1m Good To Soft ATR

Race Conditions: £5,000 guaranteed For 3yo Rated 51-70 (also open to such horses rated 50 and below) Weights highest weight 9st 7lb Minimum weight 8-2 Penalties after May 23rd, each race won 6lb Field Of Light's Handicap Mark 70 Entries 21 pay £ 20 Penalty value 1st £3,234.50 2nd £962.50 3rd £481.00 4th £240.50
NO.     FORM     HORSE     AGE     WGT     TRAINER RTF%     JOCKEY     OR     TS     RPR
13     952         Field Of Light15     3     9-7     Ed Dunlop71     Graham Lee     70     71     79
25     62-694         Dominada15     3     9-7     Brian Ellison69     Dale Swift     70     59     83
39     98-135         Rennie Mackintosh57     3     9-5     Mark Johnston49     Joe Fanning     68     18     80
44     5-6213         Mystic Miraaj7     3     9-5     Tim Easterby62     David Allan     68     65     85
52     4-6243         Takafol16v1     3     9-4     David O´Meara48     Sam James     67     63     79
611     5353-8         Mallymkun23     3     9-4     K R Burke50     -     67     60     77
71     464-06         Mistamel23p     3     9-4     Eve Johnson Houghton50     Paul Mulrennan     67     61     80
810     0-97         Grass Roots32     3     9-1     Charles Hills58     Graham Gibbons     64     54     78
98     350-5         Dutch Robin11     3     8-13     Mick Channon36     Charles Bishop     62     64     83
106     5531-1d         Miss Van Gogh7     3     8-13     Richard Fahey59     Tony Hamilton     62     75     84
117     06-134         Anneani2     3     8-3     Paul Green100     -     52     69     80

Every horse is theoretically running off the same mark bar one - the perfect handicap!  140 was just the ballpark figure.

It's basically a 140-150 handicap

It's actually a 139-140 handicap.

Well, to be more precise, a 140-150 handicap where horses rated below 140 will be rated as 140

Agreed.

It IS the equivalent of a 140 - 150 HANDICAP - with the 139 a pound 'out of the handicap'

Just as a 70 horse in a Class 5  Flat 71-85 would be '1 oh'

We all agree it's a handicap and not what the Irish race designers purport it to be.  End of thread!