The "Sticks" On The Rail

[Thomas Roulston]

Is there any standard for how far apart the white pickets or "sticks" connecting the rail to the ground are - as in maybe 10 feet?

One day at Belmont, I tried to count how many there were between the 16th pole and the wire, and I seem to remember the number to have been about 30.

If such a standard does exist, then I suppose it could be used to determine the distance between, say, the finish line and the beginning of the first turn.

[jballscalls]

well its 330 feet from the sixteenth pole to the finish, so if they were 10 feet there should be 33 of them. Somebody told me once they were supposed to each be a horse length, but it varies from track to track. Probably just has more to do with keeping the rail sturdy.