Energy use and turns vs. straights

[For The Lead]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

If you are willing to flip the fractions, then it appears you think 22 23 is equal to 23 22.

Part of me (the intuitive part) seems to want to believe that the horse that did a 22 on the turn had a tougher trip because turns tend to slow horses down. So to run 22 on a turn you'd have to really be motoring. But obviously I don't know or I wouldn't have asked.

If I were you I would listen to the "intuitive part" of yourself.
Just keep in mind the distance of the race and "where" on the track the second fraction (turn time) is being run.
When horses leave the gate they run as hard as they can and reach a peak speed. From there they slow down through the remainder of the race. Horses that "close" and appear to be speeding up ARE NOT. They are just slowing down at a slower rate the the early pace setter, thus the "deceleration" concept.
Seldom does a horse run a faster second fraction than a first fraction, especially a full second faster. What made SECRETARIAT such an incredible horse and his KENTUCKY DERBY such and incredible race, is the fact that he ran every quarter mile of the race faster than the previous quarter of a mile. He had such a tremendous ability to run fast on turns. This set him apart from other horses. If you want to see that ability, go to YOU TUBE and look at Secretariat's Preakness and watch him on the first turn!! Absolutely incredible!! (let me know the next time you see a horse do this on the first turn )
If you can determine, as Bill V. suggested, that a fast second fraction came about because the horse got off slow, then don't look for the horse to repeat it, unless you think it is going to get off slow again! (lol) In which case I'm not sure I would want to play that horse anyway!

[RAMON201]

1. All tracks are not created equal. Some have tight turns and others have wider turns.
2.In the first quarter you have to keep in mind the run-up. The distance from the starting gate to the point where the race begins. At some tracks it will be short and others such as Churchill it will be longer and it will vary with the distances run. Human beings are placing the starting gate and 'good enough' sometimes is the rule of the day.
3. Does the track have tight or wide turns?
4. Whats the distance of the turn ? The point from the straightaway entering the turn to the point exiting the turn.
5. When it comes to comparing turn times knowing the track layout is essential.Shippers coming in from other tracks to the one your at will have run under different conditions as far as these distances go. Theres much more than this to keep in mind but the bottom line is tracks are different and that has always got to be a consideration.