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Maybe someone could ask a track superintendent that has been around a long time. From my memory, back in the 70s, NYRA used to post a chart with the track depth at various locations. I used to check it all the time trying to get some clue about whether the rail would be good or bad. I remember depths of 3, 3 1/4, 3 1/2 inches as the norm. In later years it was about an inch deeper. The composition of the tracks also appears to have changed. Changes like that have to be impacting both the paces and times and maybe even distance relationships.
I think that may explain why riders have become less aggressive on dirt over time and maybe also why we see fewer huge speed figures in sprint races. You need a very fast pace and a track that’s carrying that speed to get really fast times and big figures. We don’t get that as often anymore.
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"Unlearning is the highest form of learning"
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