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Originally Posted by classhandicapper
I'm still a fan of Trakus despite the occasional malfunctions and inaccuracies. I don't care much about the times. However, if you do trips and ground loss; it helps you picture how the race was run before you even watch the replay.
If you look at the 1/2 mile point you'll get an approximate picture of the 1st turn in routes and then if you look at the final call you'll get a picture of the overall race. Then when you watch the replay and head on you already more or less know where horses were at various points and you can take notes faster and more accurately.
If some of the horses are off the screen on the turn because they are far back, you can at least make an educated guess as to how wide they were even if you can't see them.
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This time, I'm glad to say that I agree with you completely.
I like to use Trakus, especially for ground loss. Just divide the Delta number by 8 and you have the extra lengths run. The MPH figure tells you who really ran the fastest splits and best race timewise. I also like the aerial view which is the best way to see troubled trips. Much like the aerial views they used to do from the blimp. Even if the horses far back are off the screen you still get their ground loss and MPH.
It's true that I've heard of some problems with the technology but one has to consider the tremendous amount of information Trakus is dealing with. This is the first attempt at such an ambitious goal.
I think the next generation in accurate timing will be with TPD (Total Performance Data) which some N.American tracks are already using. It is easier and cheaper for a track to set up since they don't have to put sensors around the track but uses satellite GPS technology and are not affected by cell phone microwaves. They can also time workouts, which are now notoriously inaccurately hand timed.
