Crist Blog | February 26, 2008
Fountain of Truth
The final time of Sunday's Fountain of Youth will go down in the past performances and the record books as 1:50.07, and there is no reason to believe that isn't within a blink of the truth. Still, it was a tortured and ultimately unsatisfying process that got it to that point.
It was obvious that the Gulfstream teletimer had malfunctioned as soon as the opening quarter-mile of the race was posted as having been run in 25.78 seconds. The entire field was not under a stiff hold; on the contrary, horses were being pushed to gain tactical position. Nothing about the subsequent fractions of the race seemed amiss, but the slow first quarter inflated the posted final time to an unusually slow 1:51.85.
Shortly after the race, DRF reporter Mike Welsch manually retimed the first quarter of the race several times and came up with a far more plausible 24.10. Clearly, something had caused the timer to begin 1.68 seconds earlier than it should have, and it was later found that an outrider's pony 20 feet from the starting gate may have tripped the beam. That premature start explained the slow first quarter, and there was and is no reason to think any other segment of the race is in error. So Welsch substituted the posted 25.78 with the 24.10, used all the other posted splits, and DRF published a final time of 1:50.17.
It could and should have stopped there. Instead, Equibase then manually retimed the entire race and all the fractions off a tape and came up with completely different times that were grossly different from the perfectly good electronically-timed final seven furlongs of the race. In this version, which became the official chart published Sunday evening, the first quarter became a quick 23.56 and, most erroneously, a fourth quarter of 26.10 followed by an incongruously quick final furlong in 12.53, a full second faster than the original.
On Monday, Gulfstream officials understandably wanted to revise that "official" clocking. What they should have done was to retime the opening quarter and used the correct electronic timing of the rest of the race, as Welsch had originally done, but instead they chose to substitute their own manual retiming of the entire race. At least, as the chart above shows, it was pretty close to the electronic times.
So maybe it should be 1:50.17 instead of 1:50.07, but that's the extent of the remaining uncertainty.
Update: Well, maybe not. Randy Moss writes on an NTRA blog:
Gulfstream's newest clockings appear to have been made from finish pole-to-finish pole, as one might expect for a 1 1/8-mile race on a track 1 1/8 miles in circumference. The problem is that Gulfstream's oval isn't exactly 1 1/8 miles, as advertised. When the retooled oval was laid out in 2005 at the time of Gulfstream's massive renovation project, a measuring error was made resulting in the dirt track being slightly longer than 1 1/8 miles in circumference. Thus when 1 1/8-mile races are hand-timed at Gulfstream from finish pole-to- finish pole, the resulting clockings are about .50 seconds too slow. This discrepancy was confirmed Tuesday by Teleview Racing Patrol, which laid out the Gulfstream timing system. Because of the error in circumference, Teleview says timing for 1 1/8 races actually begins at a special timing beam placed 17 feet after the finish pole. (Videotaped replays of the Fountain of Youth show the outrider who triggered the beam positioned next to the outer rail at about that point.) Other distances are timed in a normal fashion, since the position of pole markers around the track compensates for the extra 17 feet. Hettel and his crew undoubtedly hand-timed the Fountain of Youth the way one would expect it to be timed, and I have no doubt that what appeared on their stopwatches was acceptably close to the actual time from finish post-to-finish post. But if you want to compare the Fountain of Youth with the earlier 1 1/8-mile race that day, or any other 1 1/8-mile race during the Gulfstream meeting, or if you want fractional and final clockings that don't represent an additional .50 seconds traveled, you'll need another set of timings that begin at the actual timing beam. So here you go. That's right – yet another set of times.
Posted by Steven Crist Feb 26, 2008 3:16:15 PM | Permalink
Keywords:
Comments
silver_charm says:
The time Moss came up with bodes well for Court Vision who lost ground but closed stoutly. Like a Derby horse should do.
The winner and runnerup get credit for pressing reasonably quick fractions and coming home quickly enough.
Magna gets credit for proving once again they can do nothing right. However since Frank is a visionary we will give him credit for building a Keeneland style "Beard Course" on the Main Track.
Posted by Silver Charm Mar 2, 2008 7:35:38 PM
steven_cedroni says:
Steve, they can take all the marketing geniuses at the Breeder' Cup and throw them in the same trash can. Any money that I spend on the Cup this year will be in spite of them, not because of them.
Posted by Steven Cedroni Mar 1, 2008 11:10:54 AM
turn_back_the_alarm says:
Lots of interesting posts to read.....
Stewart, I agree with your comment on the dirt mile. It can be an exciting addition to the day since that distance is very much a bread and butter one. However, now that the marathon is added, there are FOUR different races for the older males and that really does seriously dilute the fields' quality.
The filly sprint on dirt is a waste due to overall lack of talent and any turf sprint that would be restricted by sex would be the same. It is exciting to watch the girls tackle the boys. BTW, I watched Maryfield work in the mornings at Monmouth and she looked LAME! (Five horsewomen I was with concurred with this.) I would love to know what got into her. If she had warmed up like that in the post parade, she could easily have been a gate scratch.
As for the "idea" of Ladies Day....maybe it isn't as bad as it seems at first glance. Certainly it is insulting to the avid racegoer and handicapper.....however, that is not most people. Women are very drawn to the beauty and power of horses in general and with the right marketing plan this could be a real go. I often attend races at Monmouth with large groups of women. We get boxes with food, booze, private betting, etc...Then as much as I hate to perpetuate stereotypes, we get all decked out in our best racetrack outfits that would have befitted yesteryear. It is awesome. But, most of the attendees don't know anything about handicapping or racing in general. Still, they are more than happy to be there, want to come again, but there is not much sustained outreach to keep these casual fans. These women also get turned off when we go downstairs and the stands are dirty and the crowds somewhat seedy. Cutting out smoking indoors has helped a lot though.
I believe if women directed the marketing plan, kept it both intelligent and fundamental in its approach, planned other activities to tie in with women's interests and then threw in a few celebrities, it could work. It also wouldn't hurt if there were a few other "Ladies Days" at other tracks that led up to the BC. That way, the interest and awareness could build. Certainly plenty of people could be reached if there were special days at Del Mar, Arlington, Saratoga and Monmouth. All these tracks run lovely summer meets just before the BC. I can't picture something like that happening at Belmont, but who knows?
Posted by Turn Back The Alarm Mar 1, 2008 8:58:15 AM
stephen_taylor says:
Steve-
I may be in the minority when I say that I don't mind added opportunities for horses to run in the Breeder's Cup, and I really am not all that The F/M Turf or Juvenile Fillie are moved. My only real criticism is with the Distaff (No, you will never see me refer to it as the "Lady's Classic-ain't gonna happen!) not being on Saturday. The race has brought some memorys, both good, and sadly, in the case of Go For Wand, sad, but really needs to be run on Saturday. Races like the Dirt Mile, Turf Sprint, and F/M Sprint are legitimate "adds" so again, no problem.
Now, if the NTRA (and the Breeder's Cup) are really interested in doing what's best for horse racing, let's add one more day (and no, I'm not kidding) Make Thursday a "Big Money" claiming Day, with Starter Allowance races similar to the claiming crown but for lot's more money. About 6 different claiming prices, BUT hores would have had to start for that price THE CURRENT CALENDAR YEAR. Make the races worth about 1/2 million each and the BC will have made itself a "dream" for every small owner (In the interest of full disclosure, I'm involved in a small claiming partnership, and I can tell you this would be something that would get me even more excited about racing than I already am) and as for the claiming activity and interest in claiming races thruout the country, it would really stimulate interest in the "ham and egg" races on Wednesdays and Thursdays across the country. BC nomination would be needed (unless someone wanted to supplement)toss in a smaller entry fee, and watch the interest in everyday horse races soar. (5K claimers running for $500K-would that be a marketing tool to get people involved in ownership or what?) I'm interested in your thoughts.
Posted by Stephen Taylor Mar 1, 2008 7:45:52 AM
arazi says:
About the recent addition of financial losses for Magna Entertainment, it is said that:
"In the financial statements, Magna's auditor reiterated that the company cannot continue to operate without a substantial turnaround in its financial performance."
Has it not been going on since 1998? I do not remember when did last time Magna posted any profit?
The bigger question is how long ME can sustain these losses and how will it effect the racing? Is SA or Gulfstream in any danger of being sold? Should it better that ME fold its racing business and let someone else do the job?
Posted by Arazi Feb 29, 2008 4:14:51 PM
c says:
Stewart,
You have a good point about the dirt mile, but I disagree about the turf sprint. In Europe, they have a sprint division, but it's not fair to consider it as a "turf sprint" division the way Americans would think of it because they only run on turf. To them, it's just their sprint division... being on turf is not the novelty it is here. Also, Europeans generally do not view their sprinters in the same light as their Classic horses. They sometimes get a decent one here and there, but they generally don't regard that division as highly. That might be less true in Hong Kong.
Also,
"I would gladly trade not seeing the rare filly/mare such as Ouija Board or Rags to Riches compete against the boys for two days of championship racing, including Grade 1 races at a dirt mile and turf sprint."
Are you serious? You would've rather seen Xtra Heat crush a filly sprint field by 15 rather than watch her go all-out trying (and almost succeeding!) to steal one against the best sprinters in the world? Are you joking? Would Miesque had won back-to-back Eclipse awards if she trounced fillies only instead? Girls beating boys is not rare at all considering the limited number of times they actually run against them here. Several females have won the Sprint, Mile (I incorrectly named DomeDriver earlier), and Turf. If a female is good enough, she can win. The Breeders Cup should be about assembling the cream of the crop, male or female. That's how true champions like Miesque are determined.
Posted by C Feb 29, 2008 12:45:41 PM
alhattab says:
I enjoyed reading the BC posts. I will say they are trying to do too much too fast, and that change should be gradual. But I will also ask, can we give things a chance? Let's see what they come up with. Skepticsm is appropriate considering other management fiascos in the industry, which I believe results from the industry's inability to attract management talent, but let's see what they can do. The female marketing angle is largely based on what is observed in Asia, and the concept that the men will follow the women. While men don't seem to need women, and many times would rather not have them around, to go to other sporting events maybe racing is different. And there doesn't have to be one singular target audience- you can target women and poker players and the "analytical gaming" element at the same time.
Posted by AlHattab Feb 29, 2008 8:22:13 AM
todd_saunders says:
hey steve. i know this weekend looks quite exciting for the stakes races at SA and Gulf, but i think the best 3 yr. old race of the weekend may be the 3rd race sunday at gulfstream? has a terrific field, most of whom are trying to see if they can move in derby contention. really competitive, and quite intriguing, i think
Posted by todd saunders Feb 29, 2008 8:07:37 AM
spiffy_one says:
Lenny: a final clarification to your query...I race on the OJC, and the explanation was this:the timers at each poledo not initializeuntil the lead horsein the dash passes asensor that causes each timing box to fire..by this method..inadverent tripping of the timers is prevented...also..the timers at the poles are not tripped by the horses noses..they are tripped by the chest of the first horse to break the eye-beam...regards...m.r.
Posted by spiffy one Feb 29, 2008 12:35:14 AM
yuwipi says:
Steve, the flamingos on your artwork hark back to a better day for Florida racing. Hialeah and Gulfstream both operating, and racing days that could occasionally rival the best Saratoga cards I can recall. How did it come to this?
Wouldn't try to add anything to the great post by elsie from chelsie regarding the Breeders Cup, except to wonder how much BC paid for such a "marketing" idea, and who at BC authorized paying for it? Well, I suppose it's their money. Has a cult of personality been instituted at that organization preventing simple common sense from rearing it's head even once in a while? Good night Irene!
Posted by yuwipi Feb 28, 2008 6:00:53 PM
stewart says:
C:
While I agree that splitting the 2 days of the Breeder's Cup by gender is a silly public relations inspired concept, turning the Breeder's Cup into a two day weekend event is a terrific improvement for those who attend and enjoy the event, as is the addition of much needed races such as the Mile Dirt and Turf Sprint.
With all due respect to your unfair and wholly inaccurate characterization of Corinthian, prior to the institution of the Dirt Mile, there was no Breeder's Cup race for dirt males between 6F and 1 1/4 miles, which, if you think about it, was totally ludicrous when most US tracks run a daily staple of races ranging from 1 mile to 1 1/8 miles, not to mention all of the traditional Grade 1 dirt races run in the US at those distances(Donn, Met Mile, Foster, Whitney, to name a few).
Additionally, the Turf Sprint provides a new race for a category of horses and races that are becoming increasingly popular with the racing secretaries, trainers and bettors (except for a certain S. Crist) at every major track. In Europe, they have been running Group 1 turf sprint races for years, and the new race may entice several to come over for the race, instead of waiting for Hong Kong or trying to stretch out in the Turf Mile.
I would gladly trade not seeing the rare filly/mare such as Ouija Board or Rags to Riches compete against the boys for two days of championship racing, including Grade 1 races at a dirt mile and turf sprint.
Posted by Stewart Feb 28, 2008 5:12:52 PM
george_quinn says:
The Breeders cup was an idea and a brainchild of a few visionaries who understood what the future held. It produced champions and made alot of money. But outside of the corporate influence, how they handled the success is in serious doubt. To many cooks spoil the broth. Everybody is a manager at Breeders cup limited and the NTRA. Top heavy in administration, it is becoming a bad government. Waste everywhere and bad direction from to many. As soon as it started to make money everyone wanted into the mix. Well they all got what they wanted. A big corporate fiasco.
George In Lexington Ky.
P.S I have attended 9 BC days in person and the last one I went to was Arlington. That might be it for me. No more hats no more t shirts. and the way things are progressing with the watered down friday mess, alot less of my $$ in the handle.
Posted by George Quinn Feb 28, 2008 3:38:40 PM
aparagon4u says:
Spiffy_one,
How does having the chips in the saddle clothes solve the problem? The timing mechanism should be triggered when the nose of the horse crosses it. Every horse is not the same size so it doesn't matter if the chip is in the same place on the saddle cloth.
Lenny
Posted by aparagon4u Feb 28, 2008 2:55:16 PM
spiffy_one says:
C...the gps chips in the woodbine saddlecloths are in the same position on EVERY cloth..They serve Two Purposes: One..the denote the number position of each horse in the race..and TWO:the chips initialize the timing mechanisms at each timing pole...CLEAR ENOUGH????
Posted by spiffy one Feb 28, 2008 12:37:18 PM
smith says:
Off topic- but I just had to agree with Elsie_From_Chelsea. "Ladies day" seriously? A title that manages to alienate both men and women.
Posted by smith Feb 28, 2008 12:08:15 PM
aparagon4u says:
Steve,
On a completely different subject, why is "Bet with the Best 2" not in the online store? It was due to be released on Monday and is being advertised in the print edition of the DRF as currently available. Any idea when it will be added to the online store?
Thanks,
Lenny
Posted by aparagon4u Feb 28, 2008 9:49:49 AM
aparagon4u says:
The Trackus system would be great if the chip was placed on the nose of the horse (as C mentioned) which would provide more accurate times and positions relative to the leader. However, the distance traveled is irrelevant.
What if the track is favoring rally-wide runners? A horse that rallies in the middle of the track will travel further then one on the rail, but will be doing so on the best part of the track. Who ran the better race if the two finished in a dead heat? The one that traveled an extra 30 feet on the best part of the track or the one that traveled 30 feet less on the worst part of the track?
Let's focus on improving the time and positions measurements and forget about the irrelevant information such as distance traveled.
One other question, for Steve or anyone else, why did Magna decide to reconfigure the tracks they renovated to 1 1/8 mile (or thereabout) ovals? It eliminates 1 1/16 mile races and places horses stationed in the outside posts going 1 1/8 miles at a severe disadvantage. Now Gulfstream is a second thought for most Derby bound horses, while Tampa Bay has seen a dramatic increase in the quality of runners in the Sam Davis and Tampa Bay Derby.
To a lesser extent my home track of Laurel is left in a terrible predicament where horsemen want to run at a 1 1/16 miles but are left with either running a one turn mile, which is nothing more then an elongated sprint, or the aforementioned 1 1/8 miles where the inside posts are the best place to be.
Lenny
Posted by aparagon4u Feb 28, 2008 9:45:07 AM
c says:
Elsie,
I sensed the Breeders Cup was moving in the wrong direction a few years ago when they added the Filly and Mare Turf. As a result, the public was cheated out of seeing arguably the greatest turf female of our time run against the best from the USA and Europe, male or female. I'm referring to Ouija Board, who later conquered World Cup winner Electrocutionist when many thought she was past her prime.
Since then, the Breeders Cup has become a weaker version of the original champion's showcase blended with Calder's Extreme Day. I wouldn't be surprised if the dirt marathon race is eventually split into male and female divisions as well. You know they want to have an equal number of male and female races... 9 on Friday, 9 on Saturday. I'm sure they'll plug the Pick-9 and Pick-18 after that. In fact, maybe that's why they're running at Santa Anita 2 years in a row-- they already have a Place Pick-All bet there. Ah, so that was the "marketing opportunity" they were talking about last week. It's all crystal-clear now.
The supporters will argue that the Friday card provides more exposure and an extra day of decent races to bet on. I'd argue that most people WORK on Fridays and no Friday card is going to attract newbies off the street; also, decent betting cards can already be found at most tracks every weekend... none beg to be called Breeders Cup races.
Personally, I think the additional races make the overall product extremely dull. Never again will we see Xtra Heat or Safely Kept compete against boys in the Sprint. We never got to see Ouija Board prove herself against boys on OUR turf the way she did at Ascot. We might not see another Dome Driver or Six Perfections run in the Mile either. The one thing we should've learned from 20+ years of Breeders Cup history is that FEMALES DO NOT NEED THEIR OWN RACES.
This is boring racing. Watching Maryfield, a total nobody, win a sprint restricted to equally-uninspiring females is not very exciting. Watching NowNowNow beat a field of lackluster slowpoke 2YOs on grass is not very exciting. Watching so-so Corinthian whip overhyped Discreet Cat, while the Classic draws a field of 9 (5 of which are rank outsiders) is not very exciting. I'm sure the guess-the-surface-marathon will be really fun to watch too. Why don't they add a Breeders Cup Arabian race? How about mules?
Posted by C Feb 28, 2008 8:45:59 AM
craig says:
So, what times will show up in the PPs with DRF and/or other providers?
Posted by craig Feb 28, 2008 6:58:56 AM
tom says:
Gulfstream's got issues. They could have been a Saratoga, or at least a Hollywood, of the south, but they're looking a bit like Finger Lakes these days with messes like this. And that the track isn't a precise nine-furlong circuit in this age? That's kinda odd.
Somewhat off-topic, why are they diluting the Breeders Cup so badly? The filly races that actually have division titles on the line are getting shafted by a pack of claimers going a mile and a half for $500K and by a 2YO turf stakes that is nothing more than random colts with random form getting lucky so early in their careers. Moving the important races to Friday and putting the non-essential ones into the mix on Saturday is a great way to stifle a Rags To Riches story from forming.
I don't mind the added races. But if you're building a Day Of The Champions, why mix the championship card with turf sprints and marathons better suited for an appetizer than a hearty main course of racing? Why are they determined to ruin the BC so badly so quickly?
Posted by Tom Feb 28, 2008 6:15:29 AM
pp says:
Okay, can we just move on past this Fountain of Youth prep? The final time is a non-factor in this year's Derby. The winner is not coming from a Florida prep.
Posted by PP Feb 27, 2008 10:04:01 PM
hz_hackenbush says:
Steve - On another matter of statistical importance:
Would it be possible to update the DRF "Abbreviations and Purse Value Index for North American Tracks" on your website to reflect 2007 values instead of 2006 values?
It would be, I assure you, much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Posted by hz hackenbush Feb 27, 2008 8:58:22 PM
elsie_from_chelsea says:
Steve-
What are your thoughts regarding the future of the Breeder's Cup? It seems to me that a wonderful event is quickly being run into the ground via a string of rash decisions made by people who seemingly have no understanding of horse racing or of who watches and wagers on horse racing.
First, going from 8 to 14 races ensures smaller and/or more diluted fields. Second, the Ladies Classic? Female-oriented marketing? Is this a joke? Do they think Playtex and Midol are going to be knocking down the door to buy ad time? How about some handicapper-oriented marketing instead of alienating those of us who watch and wager on their races?
If they are dead set on attempting to draw new fans and viewers, a formidable task, do they really think that women are a demographic pool they are likely to draw from? How did that meeting go? I imagine about like this: "My 10 year-old daughter really loves horses, I think the female market is an untapped gold mine for racing. I bet women will be especially drawn to races involving women horses. Distaff is an archaic term though, we better make it simpler so the women know women horses will be competing. Maybe all pink saddle clothes too."
Maybe more likely demographics from which to attract new viewers, handicappers, and bettors are poker players, sports bettors, casino-goers, or 18-35 year old men? Add this latest news to the idiocy of the win-and-your-in races and the decision to hold consecutive Cups at a track that may or may not have a suitable racing surface and you have to wonder how many more Breeder's Cups we will see.
Posted by Elsie_From_Chelsea Feb 27, 2008 5:25:37 PM
steve_davidowitz says:
Randy Moss' explanation is a revelation on two counts. First, it is remarkable, but consistent too with Magna's overall management history. Frank Stronach--a great breeder and horse owner for sure--spends a ton of money at every track it has acquired and makes so many mistakes that he is jeapordizing the health of racing as much as he wanted so desperately to help it. Here is just the latest faux pax: The 9 furlong track at Gulfstream is not even a nine furlong track!
Secondly, if Moss is correct that all the other poles on the track have been placed forward to compensate for the 17 feet discrepency at the start/finish line, than the half mile, quarter mile and final 1/8 mile finishing times will be faster to the actual finish than they should be--by about one length, or .16 seconds (the time it typically will take a horse to run 17 feet). Either way, score another mistake for Stronach/Magna and one that was not revealed to the betting public until this controversy erupted over the F of Y clockings.
Amazing!
Posted by Steve Davidowitz Feb 27, 2008 4:48:53 PM
c says:
Trackus will have its own problems. Unless that chip is attached to the tip of each horse's nose, the timing of races will be LESS accurate. Where is the chip on the saddle cloth? Is the saddle cloth placed in exactly the same position on each horse? How about from race-to-race for the same horse? How long and tall is each horse? Who has the longest/shortest neck and head in the field? These are all silly questions that the next wave of super-precise handicappers will be tempted to ask.
Look, the game has already reached ridiculous heights in the technical department: times reported in hundredths, miles per hour calculations, overly complicated and tedious pace/speed figures, stride-length calculations, wind speed computations (as in The Sheets), etc. At what point is there too much information? At what point do we just accept that there are certain things we cannot measure with nano-second precision?
Does it really matter if the opening quater is :24+1 instead of :23+4? Or, I should say, :24.18 versus :23.83? We're talking about less than half a second. It just simply shouldn't matter that much. A bump, a split-second hesitation by a jockey, or a bad step could all account for such a difference. If you have any race-watching skills, you shouldn't have to over-emphasize a few hundredths of a second to decide whether a horse ran well or not.
I also think using Trackus as a handicapping tool will lead a lot of players into bankruptcy because they'll be overly impressed with a horse who was beaten by only 3 lengths but traveled 30 extra feet compared to the winner. Most will fail to consider that closers are almost always forced to go wide while early-speed types almost always save ground. If Trackus had been used for the 3 War Pass-Pyro matchups, I'm sure it would've revealed that Pyro traveled further and maybe even had a higher average velocity than War Pass in each meeting. I wonder how many Trackus-heads would've bet the ranch on Pyro in meetings 2 and 3 based on that. I kind of hope DRF incorporates this into the PPs... yet another piece of miscellaneous minutia for the public to overanalyze and for me to totally ignore.
Posted by C Feb 27, 2008 2:05:14 PM
eric_b says:
Steve, the BSF assigned to the FOY was a 98 according to Mr. Illman. I assume that was based on the revised time of 1:50.07. Will the Beyer group now take Randy Moss's re-revised timing into consideration and change the BSF for the race? Moss has a lot of credibility.
Posted by Eric B. Feb 27, 2008 12:27:59 PM
bitplayer says:
A little off-topic, but not completely so: it's hard to make any sense of fractions without knowing which way the wind is blowing and how hard. That's never a problem when you're at the track, but with more bettors watching on TV, at simulcast facilities, or on the Internet, is there a reason the tracks can't help us out here? A flag or wind sock atop the starting gate would be nice.
Posted by BitPlayer Feb 27, 2008 10:30:11 AM
brandon says:
Not to harp on Gulfstream about the teletimer because not every track operates at 100% efficiency but it’s amazing that since they have obtained slots their only press seems to be the negative kind. Here is track that had a stranglehold on the industry for winter racing and as each year passes they fall farther from grace.
Even Philadelphia Park Director of Racing Sal Sinatra took a shot at them when he said, “We want to keep the dollars wagered in the Mid-Atlantic region, I think we can get players looking at us instead of Gulfstream Park (in South Florida), which in my opinion has really gone down.” The culture of racing in Florida has taken a turn and I can unequivocally say that the everyday racing at Calder Racetrack dwarfs that of Gulfstream’s. With the inability to host a Breeders Cup and the human anchor “Stronach” in control I am not sure this track will ever be able to build back it’s fanbase.
Posted by Brandon Feb 27, 2008 8:17:56 AM
brian_mclean says:
This FOY debacle should create a clarion call for Trackus. I always watch with interest the distance traveled after a race at Keeneland. I’m ambivalent towards the cartoonish Woodbine race display. Doesn’t this take away all the guess work regarding chart calling and timing?
Does anybody incorporate Trackus into their handicapping when available?
Is there any downside to Trackus?
With all due respect to Woody Stephens, I think time is germane.
Posted by Brian McLean Feb 27, 2008 7:23:03 AM
vicstu says:
I agree Steve.I can swallow the fact that something "broke the beam" (most likely began by the starter overriding the FAT system manually, which has a history of happening at GP, which would allow the timer beam to be triggered "on" by an outrider in the 1st place). And I can deal with the adjusted time that Welsch came up with...
and the runup.
What I do not understand, or "get," is the need to Equibase to re-time the race and come up with completely different times, and fractions.
In other words, it turned what looked like a correctable problem into a complete mess and a PR problem. There are also 3 times out there, so despite what brass at Gulfstream say, they will be forever fighting to put the genie back in the bottle on this one.
Which raises the question, whenever Equibase does not like a time, are they going to hand time it and come out with their own "official time"?
Even the actual running of the race raised more questions than it answered. For instance, what does one make of Monba or Anak Nakal? The trainers were blaming slow fractions, but they can't use that anymore, can they?
Posted by vicstu Feb 27, 2008 6:30:15 AM
spiffy_one says:
Woodbine has been ahead of the curve in respect to the timing of races...they have gps transponders in both thoro and harness saddlecloths and their timing is never called into question....
Posted by spiffy one Feb 27, 2008 2:04:38 AM
george_quinn says:
I bet if you buy a Franks energy drink at Gulfstream the price is correct. Times of graded Derby preps, not so much.
George in Lexington Ky.
Posted by george quinn Feb 27, 2008 12:02:15 AM
crazy_rob says:
I looked at the run up and came up with 1:50.46 and that is the time I will handicap this race for the future.
Posted by crazy rob Feb 26, 2008 10:47:41 PM
terry_f says:
I think Gulfstream's track configuration is more of a bane than its race-timing problems. These 1 1/8 mile races remind me of Freehold (NJ) Raceway, the 1/2 mile harness track where trifectas always seem to be 1-2-4 or 2-1-3 and the outside horses are in the parking lot around the first turn.
Steve, to your knowledge has there ever been a major thoroughbred racetrack that holds important races where the luck of the draw means so much?
Posted by Terry F Feb 26, 2008 10:29:29 PM
el_angelo says:
I think you just made the perfect convincing argument to have chips/timers put in all horses' saddlecloths before each race. If marathons can do it, it cannot be that hard or expensive for tracks.
Posted by El Angelo Feb 26, 2008 4:09:11 PM
tim says:
That was not an extremely flattering race for this group. Looked like a bunch of drunken sailors staggering down to the line, even the winner.
This year's 3 year old crop is among the worst I have ever seen.
We better start breaking out the sundials to time some of these donkey races.
Posted by Tim Feb 26, 2008 4:06:14 PM
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About
Steven Crist has been the Publisher and a columnist for Daily Racing Form since 1998. Previously, he covered racing for The New York Times from 1981-1990; was founding editor-in-chief of The Racing Times in 1991-92; and a vice-president of the New York Racing Association from 1994-97. He is the
author of several books including "Betting on Myself" and "Exotic Betting."
