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I wanted to offer some more info on the topic of run-up, particularly as I spoke with Dave Siegel from Trackmaster who spoke of this topic on @Steve_Byk yesterday. https://twitter.com/PatCummingsTIF/status/1253660149413228545?s=20
First off - I'm not yelling AT Dave, I'm yelling FOR him.
Tech development in racing - things like Trakus, TurfTrax, Gmax/TPD and others have often had to "break" their innovations to fit racing's antiquated ways of wanting data reported. This includes run-up...
Tech development in racing - things like Trakus, TurfTrax, Gmax/TPD and others have often had to "break" their innovations to fit racing's antiquated ways of wanting data reported. This includes run-up...
Track: You see this horse, we want to track it and see how fast it goes.
Engineer: Can do.
Track: This race is 1 mile.
Engineer: OK, then why does the race start anywhere from 5ft to 400ft behind the point that is one mile from the finish?
Track: That's the way it is.
Engineer: Can do.
Track: This race is 1 mile.
Engineer: OK, then why does the race start anywhere from 5ft to 400ft behind the point that is one mile from the finish?
Track: That's the way it is.
Engineer: That doesn't make any sense.
Track: That's the way it was done when I got here and that's the way we have to do it.
Engineer: Well, I can track the horse, but this race isn't a mile.
Track: Yes it is, it says so in the program, the condition book, everywhere.
Track: That's the way it was done when I got here and that's the way we have to do it.
Engineer: Well, I can track the horse, but this race isn't a mile.
Track: Yes it is, it says so in the program, the condition book, everywhere.
Engineer: You're wrong (this is how engineers are).
Track: We've done this like this for years and years (this is how tracks are)
Engineer: Well, you've been doing it wrong.
Track: We want to clock to start when the horses get to the point that is 1 mile from the finish
Track: We've done this like this for years and years (this is how tracks are)
Engineer: Well, you've been doing it wrong.
Track: We want to clock to start when the horses get to the point that is 1 mile from the finish
Engineer: Why would anyone want a horse to run maybe 330ft and THEN start timing the race? That makes no sense.
Track: Ok, let's move on, the next race is 6 1/2 furlongs.
Engineer: What's a furlong?
Track: That's the measure we use in racing, it equals 660 feet.
Track: Ok, let's move on, the next race is 6 1/2 furlongs.
Engineer: What's a furlong?
Track: That's the measure we use in racing, it equals 660 feet.
Engineer: So this next race is 6 segments, furlongs, of 660 feet, plus a half of those, an extra 330ft.
Track: Yes, you're getting this now.
Engineer: So why do you account for the 330ft in this race, but in the last one, you didn't?
Track: What are you talking about?
Track: Yes, you're getting this now.
Engineer: So why do you account for the 330ft in this race, but in the last one, you didn't?
Track: What are you talking about?
Engineer: OK, let's see this. Where does the gate go [track shows the engineer]...ok, well this gate is 50 feet behind the point that is 6 1/2 "furrrrrrrrrrrrrlongs" from the finish.
Track: Yep, that's where we do these.
Engineer: Do what?
Track: Yep, that's where we do these.
Engineer: Do what?
Track: Start the races.
Engineer: And people bet on these things?
Track: Yeah, but not as much as they used to.
Engineer: I have a few ideas why that might be.
Track: I'm not paying you to come up with ideas to save racing.
Engineer: Is it that obvious?
Engineer: And people bet on these things?
Track: Yeah, but not as much as they used to.
Engineer: I have a few ideas why that might be.
Track: I'm not paying you to come up with ideas to save racing.
Engineer: Is it that obvious?
Vignette aside - races should be timed from gate break to the finish. That can be tricky given we have never done that in thoroughbred racing in America. So how do we fix it? Part of the way is to make a few small tech upgrades, the rest involves reporting ACTUAL race distances
If you have dirt horse who's been running 5 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland been getting caught late, and ship him to Churchill to run 6 furlongs, the horse will "actually" run closer to 6 1/3 furlongs at CD. Just because they don't TIME it doesn't mean they don't RUN it!
At Tampa - 5F turf races see gate put in same spot no matter rail setting. So run-up is short in true position, gets longer & longer as rail setting increases. The farthest position means a race that might "officially" be 56 secs took 1:00 to run. 7% of actual race was untimed!
So what's the answer? It's a dynamic solution, obviously. First - the tracking companies would LOVE to unbreak their equipment and time from when the gate opens. All American tracks should put an electric pulse on the plunger that starts the race.
Tracks must report actual race distances run. If you run a 1 Mile race, the gate should be 1 Mile from the finish. If it isn't, you are misleading everyone. So report the race distance run and time THAT. If gate is 1 Mile and 130ft - report it, or 1 Mile and 43 Yards...
Think that looks weird? Maybe it does. It will make times look weird too. How does that get handled? Normally you tack that first portion on to the first full 1/4 after that. Will it look weird? Yes. People will get used to it.
The other option - start with the metric system for race distances. It's easy to adjust. Move your on-course markers too. Instead of miles, sixteenths, yards, furlongs, or the Beard Course of 7F 182ft...you just have _ _ _ _ meters. It can be done.
Might they gate end up a meter here or there, or a foot here or there, in the wrong place? Very possible, same as today. But it would be a monumental improvement over our long-standing, ludicrous, laughable reality. Start caring about the customers.
