$28 million training machine?

[davew]

Will there ever be one of these made in North America?

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-07-11/the-future-of-racing-new-20m-machine-puts-horses-through-their-paces/

[Fager Fan]

My guess is no, because it looks destined to be a $28m failure.

[thaskalos]

There supposedly is no money to properly equip the testing laboratories, or to replace the oft-malfunctioning tele-timers...so, I doubt that an extra $28M will somehow surface for some extravagance such as this.

[Fager Fan]

There supposedly is no money to properly equip the testing laboratories, or to replace the oft-malfunctioning tele-timers...so, I doubt that an extra $28M will somehow surface for some extravagance such as this.

You're talking different entities though. A horse owner may spend however many millions on horses or a horse farm, but they're not going to give that sum over to testing labs or the teletimer company.

It seems like a whole lot of money for something that can be accomplished without it. If you want the horses to go a specific pace/time to an exact measurement, then put a timer on the rider's wrist or develop a timer that rides the inside rail just ahead of the rider. Tether the horse to a moving vehicle of some sort that goes at a specific speed if you don't want a rider on their back.

That machine looks so dangerous. What protection is there for the horse that breaks down or gets their legs tangled up? If there's an automatic stop, does it stop quick enough for the injured horse but not too quick to injure any of the other horses who are going to be asked to suddenly stop while going up to 30 or 40mph? I don't see any sling mechanism attached to the horses to protect a horse who breaks down or has a leg problem while on that machine.

[Robert Fischer]

If it provides an actual competitive advantage, a large breeding operation will have no issue with the price.

The details seem a bit murky and I don't know enough about young horses, or this training system, to have an opinion.

[ReplayRandall]

If it provides an actual competitive advantage, a large breeding operation will have no issue with the price.

The details seem a bit murky and I don't know enough about young horses, or this training system, to have an opinion.

I find the theory Magister Ludi explained, over 4 years ago, in the following posts to be quite relevant to this thread topic:

When does a horse run closest to his species’ optimal pace? When he’s setting a record.

f------name------------track---date-----final-----2f-----4f-----6f-----8f----10f----fin

5.5----Plenty Zloty-------TUP---4.18.95----61.2----21.6---21.8----------------------------17.8

6------G Malleah---------TUP----4.8.95-----66.6----21-----22-------------------------------23.6

6.5----Lucky Forever-----HOL---5.20.95----73.24--21.96--21.95--23.22-------------------6.11

7.5----Awesome Daze---HOL---11.23.97---86.26--22.19--22.6----23.93------------------17.54

8------Najran-------------BEL----5.7.03-----92.24--22.65--22.02--23.09------------------24.48

9.5----Farma Way--------PIM---5.11.91---112.4---23.55--23.36--23.16--24.25----------18.23

10.5--Gold Star Deputy--AQU---4.10.99--127.32--23.13--23.74--24.22--24.48--24.74---7.01

11----Demi’s Bret--------AQU--10.26.97--132.31--24.49--22.73--23.94--24.58----------36.57


North American Dirt Records 2002 [close enough]

f------2f----4f---6f--8f--10f--fin
5.5---103--102------------------94

6-----106--101------------------94

6.5---103--103---97------------92

7.5---104--102---96------------98

8-----102--105--100------------94

9.5---101--101--102--98-------97

10.5--105--102--100--99--98--86

11-----98--106--100--98-------99

Split Speed as Percentage of Average Speed

2f----4f---fin

103--102--94


Median Split Speed as Percentage of Average Speed

KEY to our discussion on the $28 mil machine-

It appears that the optimal pace for a thoroughbred racehorse racing on a dirt track at a distance between 5.5f and 11f inclusive would be to run the first 2f at about 103% of its average speed with a fairly linear deceleration throughout the race to 94% of its average speed.

It probably has something to do with the fact that at about 50s, aerobic power becomes larger than anaerobic power. Note the sharp drop in the final split for the shorter sprints.

[Fager Fan]

Where does it talk about that as the goal of the machine? Instead, I think it's likely about interval training.

[ReplayRandall]

Where does it talk about that as the goal of the machine? Instead, I think it's likely about interval training.

I believe they've invested $28 mil on a much higher level of techno-training, involving the meting out of aerobic/anaerobic energy expenditures, than something simplistic as a new way for an old method of interval training...

[Fager Fan]

I believe they've invested $28 mil on a much higher level of techno-training, involving the meting out of aerobic/anaerobic energy expenditures, than something simplistic as a new way for an old method of interval training...

Maybe, but to my knowledge, the problem bringing along babies has to do with the stressing and remodeling of the bones and ligaments as opposed to anything to do with the heart and lungs.

If anyone finds an article that talks of this machine in depth and what they're exactly trying to accomplish and how, I'd love to read it. Surely it must fill in the holes I see in the idea.

[davew]

Maybe, but to my knowledge, the problem bringing along babies has to do with the stressing and remodeling of the bones and ligaments as opposed to anything to do with the heart and lungs.

If anyone finds an article that talks of this machine in depth and what they're exactly trying to accomplish and how, I'd love to read it. Surely it must fill in the holes I see in the idea.

website with advertising literature

http://kurtsystems.co.uk/

[Fager Fan]

website with advertising literature

http://kurtsystems.co.uk/

Thanks!

[Fager Fan]

That didn't take long to read. Unfortunately it's not very specific at all. It just says they take all sorts of measurements that supposedly will help the trainer determine its level of fitness.