Equibase to add new designatiions

[karlskorner]

for sealed and all weather tracks. According to TT Times

Equibase Co. Thoroughbred racing's offical database will add a new designation for sealed tracks and all-weather tracks in its past performance and result charts begining Wednesday.

A sealed track is a dirt track that has been packed down and not harrowed so that less water will soak into it. Dry tracks are sealed so that water runs off, wet tracks are sealed to provide an even surface.

A sealed track wil be indicated by a superscript "s" immediately after the track condition. An all-weather track will be noted with an "A" inside a diamond.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Response from my email to them says the chartcallers will decide if the track has been sealed.
How will that info be used by handicappers from the PP's?

[kitts]

This handicapper will not pay any attendtion to it at all. I made peace with "off" tracks years ago. My mentor at the time advised: bet the same way, only less.

[karlskorner]

I personally appreciate that the PP's will indicate that a track "was" sealed on a certain date, makes a difference for those doing pars, pace, workouts and speed etc., but I would rather know and announced by the track that is was "sealed" for todays races. There is a "difference" between a sealed and harrowed track.

[cj]

I just hope it doesn't mess up the Chart Parser! :D

[michiken]

I just hope it doesn't mess up the Chart Parser! :D

I can sure sympathize with you on this point. I can remember 'countless' times that I had update my program because the database structure was changed.

The good thing is that we heard about this in advance. Perhaps in time to head off our script errors? Since Equibase is the main data provider, I am guessing that this will trickle down to other formats too. I only wish bris had an email list announcing when they decide to change/add/reformat their data.........

[DJofSD]

Equibase press release (http://www.equibase.com/news/releases/060105release.cfm)

Enjoy!

DJofSD

[Tom]

Would be nice to know if a tracks was sealed during the card so that some were sealed, some were not.

[Observer]

I thought Equibase had already been using the All-Weather symbol .. either way .. glad to see these implementations .. and hope they become industry standards.

I'm curious to see what a running line will look like with a sealed designation on a muddy track .. doesn't look like there's much room when the abbreviation is "my" .. as opposed to "ft" .. seems like it's gonna look pretty crammed.

[rastajenk]

The chartcallers will decide if it's been sealed or not? How 'bout the track crew doing it, or whoever already makes the fast-good-sloppy-muddy designation? Will they bother to make a simple call to the super, or just eyeball it?

I understand the constant desire for more and more information to exploit in order to gain the slightest edge...but for me personally, I can easily imagine never using the sealed track thing to arrive at a final decision; that kind of hairsplitting exemplifies the law of diminishing returns.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Any possibilty that the sealed Emerald Downs track had an influence? I know GGF was sealed last year when not much rain.
I agree it would be nice to know ahead or concurrent when the track is sealed- just in case it gets labeled "wet fast" or "muddy" or "sloppy". Smetimes it is hard to tell.

[andicap]

Will the DRF adopt this designation??

I haven't seen Marc from DRF around here for a while? Did he get tired of the DRF-bashing or just busy at work?
Hope he's still here -- Everything being said, I like the DRF overall especially Formulator 4.

[Marc At DRF]

yep, we'll be adding the sealed track info shortly.