track circumference

[kitts]

I think there is a source for this but I do not recall how to access it. I am trying to be certain a track is at least a mile before I put it in my study. I think the following are one mile but I am not sure:

Woodlands
Beulah Park
Thistledown
Yavapai
Fairmount
Fonner

I believe the following are less than one mile:

Charlestown
Great Lakes Downs
All California County Fairs

Feel free to post info as you know it. Thanks.

[trying2win]

Kitts,

I see The Woodlands racetrack provides free live video on their website. Perhaps by studying the online video, you can get an inkling to the size of their racetrack. Here's the link:

http://www.woodlandskc.com/


T2W

[cj]

I don't think all the California fairs are less than one mile, if you mean Pleasanton, Solano, and Santa Rosa at least.

This might be of some help:

http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/bris_tracks.cgi

It is outdated though.

[Kitan]

All this info is from drf.com



Woodlands
Main Track: One mile, oval.
Distance from last turn to finish line: 1,030 feet.


Beulah
Main Track: One mile, oval.
Turf Course: About six furlongs.
Distance from last turn to finish line: 1,100 feet


Thistledown
Main Track: One Mile, oval.
Distance from last turn to finish line: 978 Feet


Yavapai
Main Track: One mile, oval.
Distance from last turn to finish line: 1,020 Feet


Fairmount
Main Track: One Mile, oval.
Distance from last turn to finish line: 1,050 feet.


Charles Town
Main Track: Six furlongs.
Distance from last turn to finish line: 660 feet


Great Lakes Downs
Main Track: Five-eighths mile, oval.
Distance from last turn to finish line: 580 feet.

[Macdiarmadillo]

Northern California Fair tracks are all a mile around except Ferndale, which is a half mile oval. Technically, the Santa Rosa dirt track is listed as "about one mile" and of course, the turf course inside that is less.

Fairplex is a 5/8 mile oval.

[Dan Montilion]

Solano (Vallejo) is 7/8ths mile track.

Dan Montilion

[midnight]

You can find information about the tracks at the DRF website:

DRF Racetrack Listing (http://www.drf.com/entries/entries_info.html)

I know that Lincoln (LNN), Columbus (CLS), and Fonner (FON) are all five-eighths, and I believe Atokad (ATO) and Horseman's (HPO) are also five-eighths.

[toetoe]

Check out Sportsman's in Chicago. 7 f., but a stretch run of 1,463 ft.! The turns are hairpin-sharp, but so short that 4-wide there must be preferable to 2-wide at Belmont Park. I think wind would be huge at Spt., as 70-plus% of the track is stretch or backstretch.

[46zilzal]

Check out Sportsman's in Chicago. 7 f., but a stretch run of 1,463 ft.! Is this track even open any longer??

[GameTheory]

Is this track even open any longer??Yeah, closed. Hawthorne got the dates, I believe.

[midnight]

Closed three years ago to horse racing. They did auto racing a little longer.

Sportsmans used to be a 5/8 mile track. When the track was a 5/8, the stretch was still about 950 ft. Sportsmans held a spring thoroughbred meeting and, before Meadowlands opened, the premier summer harness meeting in North America, outside of the Grand Circuit. The turns were tight, but they were well banked. Early speed and presser/sustained rail trips were what won. The latter was usually a matter of luck.

[socantra]

This was done summer 2004 and has most of the then current tracks in the country, circumference and straightaway.

socantra...

[cj]

This was done summer 2004 and has most of the then current tracks in the country, circumference and straightaway.

socantra...

Thanks, that is very good. I do know EvD is now one mile.

[kitts]

Wow! That was a response for sure. Answered all my questions and dispelled a myth I harbored re California County Fairs. Thanks to everyone.

[JustMissed]

This was done summer 2004 and has most of the then current tracks in the country, circumference and straightaway.

socantra...

Interesting that two tracks have the quarter pole in the stretch and one(Hawthorne) has the quarter pole exactly at the beginning of the stretch, all the rest have the quarter pole in the final turn.


JM :)

[delayjf]

On a typical one mile track. I believe the two turns and the two stretchs are of equal length, all a 1/4 mile in distance. Again I'm not sure, but I was under the impression that the length of the stretch often has more to do with the finish line position than the tightness of the turns.

Now I undertand that some 1 1/8 mile tracks (like Saratoga) don't card races for less than 1 1/8 miles due to the short run into the first turn. Hollywood park (also a 1 1/8 mile track) still cards races at 1 1/16. But they still have a 1/16 of a mile run ( plus run-up) into the first turn.

Does anybody know how Hollywood redesigned their track when they lengthen it from 1 mile to 1 1/8 back in the 80's. I understand that Gulfstream Park extended theirs the sameway.

Interesting but Ellis Park, a 1 1/8 mile track, has a one mile chute that cuts across the first turn. In order to card races for 1 mile at Oaklawn, they move the finish line forward to the 1/16 pole and start the race from there.

[Light]

Can someone clear up the shape of the Mountaineer racetrack? Some diagrams show the course to have equal turns like a standard oval.Other diagrams show it to be cone shaped with one turn longer than the other.

[cnollfan]

Mountaineer is egg-shaped.

[midnight]

Mountaineer is shaped like an elbow. The clubhouse turn is much tighter than the far turn is, and the homestretch isn't parallel to the backstretch.

Diagram of Mountaineer (http://www.drf.com/trackinfo/mountaineer_park.html)

[Light]

Thanks.I tend to agree but it's stuff like this from their own website showing a conventional oval that's confusing:

http://www.mtrgaming.com/about/resortmap.html

[BillW]

Thanks.I tend to agree but it's stuff like this from their own website showing a conventional oval that's confusing:

http://www.mtrgaming.com/about/resortmap.html

Looks like an artist's deception. :D

[toetoe]

When I call them a bunch of hillbillies up there, understand that it's an appalachian of affection.

[gillenr]

Has anyone tried the Google maps thing? You might see the track shape there.
Isn't Calder a squashed oval?

[rokitman]

I looked on Google earth. Didn't see it. They don't go down to their highest resolution in that area. Would have thought I could see it anyway though.

[Tom]

http://www.drf.com/trackinfo/mountaineer_park.html

[Bruddah]

An oval is nothing more than an elongated circle. The corners must add up to 360 degrees. Even if it is egg shaped with two corners being 70 degrees and the other two being 110 degrees (for exageration purposes). The key is to find out the angles of the turns, then you can understand the importance of position in the turn, on some 8 furlong (1mile) ovals. Knowing the tracks dimensions and shapes can give you a big edge. (JMHO)

[Tom]

Just looking at the Mountaineer diagram would suggest to me that inside posts were a must for routes, and the last turn might help closers swing out for the drive.

[Sundown]

Here is the Google Maps link to the Mountaineer area (I think)



http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Weirton,+WV&ll=40.576087,-80.645571&spn=0.032019,0.102413&t=k&hl=en

You can still zoom in a couple of more times before you loose resolution.

I don't know what year the image was created though.

Has Mountaineer gone through some modifications recently?