SHRP question

[ceejay]

I just watched the 2/14 third race. It seemed to me that the winner (Vicious Crook) benefited substantially by post position and won the race nearly wire to wire.

It got me wondering the following. At my local track (RP) outside posts are severely disavantaged around two turns at a mile due to (IMO) the fact that the stretch is crowned in the middle (for quarter horses) and outside posts have to run uphill at the start to get position on the turn. As SHRP was also built for QH and TB meets, I ask is the track crowned similarly to RP?

[BillW]

ceejay,

I'll let Reid answer your question, but here is the last calendar year:

Strt Wins Pct. IV ROI A/E
Post Position
Rail 58 9 15.52 1.36 0.29 1.70
1 - 3 173 25 14.45 1.27 -0.21 1.03
4 - 6 172 21 12.21 1.07 -0.07 1.22
7 - 9 137 10 7.30 0.64 -0.37 0.83
10+ 15 2 13.33 1.17 -0.53 0.62
Outside 58 3 5.17 0.45 -0.69 0.40


Bill

[PurplePower]

Shrp track is 90 feet wide. Highest point of "crown" (3 degree slope in straightaways to 6 degree at apex of turn) is about 60 feet from rail. Horses 11 and 12 generally start either just inside or right on crown. Actually they have a "downhill" slope to run on. (That is one contributor to the "slingshot" appearing effect of outside sprinters going into far turn.) Biggest problem with two turn races at both RP and SHRP is how close starting gate is to first turn. Horses are running fastest in that first 220 - 330 yards (mile or mile and a sixteenth) so outside horse that get carried wide are expending even more energy than a similarly wide horse going slower around the far turn. Biggest effect I notice in all of my handicapping that has to do with crown is inside runners in 6.5 and 7 furlong races and 550 yard Quarter Horse races. Those inside 2 or 3 runners have a slight uphill slope coming into the straight away. (Not as noticeable in TB as in those QH "Beltway specials") Now the physics guys can get involved.

[ceejay]

Thanks, Reid.