TS, couple of my thoughts that may help, all imho of course -

- I dont pay too much attention to the number of starts an older horse has had provided the win strike rate (as opposed to place strike rate) does not stink the place up - lot's of older consistent gallopers have had plenty of starts because they need the racing to be competitive & thrive on it (as an aside, over raced younger horses are more likely to be a risk)

- I prefer my oldsters in a provincial environment rather than in the big smoke, but there are always exceptions.

- A reasonable average prizemoney ranking in today race is a required element, & I usually avoid them early in a prep without a solid history to suggest they can perform well early.

- Mares, you do see the odd old mare doing laps...think Richard Dreyfuss in Let It Ride asking everyone what they like & crossing them out

- Moving away from systems - a smart trainer & jockey combo can work wonders - R.Thompson & Youthful Jack one of the more obvious recent examples (another aside, Thompson must surely be knighted once he hangs up his whip with 4000 winners now on the horizon)

My last thought is that older horses still win their fair share of races, so to ignore them is to ignore a potential profit source.


edit - agree with jose comments above