Quote:
Originally Posted by bobphilo
Quote:
Originally Posted by cj
The Handicapping Speed book, by Charles Carroll, is very good.
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Carroll's book is one of the best. He debunks the myth that 1 length is equal to 1/5 second and explains how a Thoroughbred length is 8 feet. The commonly accepted 10 feet is for Clydesdales. He even discusses how Chaos Theory applies to racing and does everything with great wit. I used to use his speed figures and found them very good. |
I've ordered Carroll's book. Amazon says I will get in one or two weeks.
Meanwhile I have doubts as to whether the actual physical length of a horse has anything to do with what is reported. For all I know a length is the distance between the poles holding up the rail. Or the person coming up with this data simply loads the video into his computer, watches it on a video editor, comes up with the actual time a horse was behind the leader (video is 30 frames per second), then applies the 5 lengths per second rule to get the reported lengths.
The actual speed of a horse at any given call will vary with the length of the race and the class. A $10,000 claimer may be going faster at the first call in a five furlong sprint than a G1 stakes horse at the finish of a mile and a quarter.
If a video camera were installed at each call then each horses actual time at each call could be reported. But with the industry dying no one is going to make that investment.
