Does anyone know how the ballot work for the Stewards' Cup?
I presume it's based on ratings (including with penalties). In the current list Bickerstaffe is down as horse 40 because his WFA allowance pushes him down. But his rating of 96 gets him a run.
Will he be in the 28 based on that or is it different for 3yos?
It's purely down to weight, the rating doesn't come into it. Where horses have the same weight, they do a ballot to decide the order as and when the weights are published. It's 'unfair' to 3-y-olds, but they do have their own program of races limited to that age group with big money - York the Saturday before Ascot, Nmkt July meeting etc.
The only thing that can change the published order is a penalty for winning, and the penalised horse is placed below all the other horses that then have the same weight. So if you had 9-2 in the original weights and got a 4lb penalty, you'd be moved up to a slot below all the other horses on 9-6, but above those on 9-5 or less.
It's purely down to weight, the rating doesn't come into it. Where horses have the same weight, they do a ballot to decide the order as and when the weights are published. It's 'unfair' to 3-y-olds, but they do have their own program of races limited