Question for you brainiacs :) Sprint vs Route vs "other"
 

Hi,

I'm interested if any of you experienced handicappers, or anyone really who has thought about the topic, has opinions/experience/data, (in a general sense), or has done any thinking or comments on how you handle 6.5 furlong, 7 furlong and 7.5 furlong races. Specifically, I'm wondering if you treat each length as a separate category for data keeping and racing, do you consider them (in a practical sense) as sprints or routes or "other", (even though the official definition is established).

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I consider them all sprints. As far as record keeping I model each distance separately. I also don't like using 7.5 f lines to rate horses if I can help it.
Tim

I consider them all sprints even through its an over simplification.


In picking pace lines I attempt to stay within 1/2 of a furlong and never no more than 1 Furlong, Races at different distances even within the sprint and route structure are run different, Generally as distance is added to the conditions cheap speed folds and better 3rd Fr horses or more balanced horses have the advantage.



Every horse has a best distance and as little as 40 or 70 yards can cause defeat because of the deceleration factor. That deceleration factor is what determines a horses best distance and how fast it occurs. Don't expect a horse with rapid deceleration to go further. Every horse has a distance of defeat and a distance of success, its up to the handicapper to fret that out.


Mitch44

Thanks guys
 

That's guys, very helpful ... things I hadn't thought about.
I've always thought if a horse wasn't used to a distance, or performed well at a given distance, (even though, obviously, the trainer would have prepared them for it .. hopefully), it might be "confusing" to them, to be faced with something *different*, under pressure. The pace-line advice is great. My numbers are OK at these distances, I need to sort my data with each one broken out, and make profiles for each, and each surface type.