turf distances

[tlinetrader]

Hey all,

Pardon my ignorance on this question. I make my own figures for dirt races which rely on a fairly accurate measure of race distance. I want to take a stab at turf races but not clear on race distance. When a race says "about" with respect to distance what does that mean in actual yards? Is the position of the rail factored in to the published distance or is some sort of adjustment required based on rail position? Is there a rule of thumb for making this adjustment? Thanks in advance for any replys.

[Tom]

There is nothing you can use as a rule of thumb.
As CJ has pointed out, some 7.5T races at GP are actually 1m16.
The game is filled so many errors and variation, you can't make any assumptions.

MY solution has been to stop play about 99% of all turf races anywhere.
I only play if I have TF data for the races, because CJ goes that extra mile and looks into his figures. Those who use the data from Equibase are kidding themselves - EB is a joke. And so are most all of the tracks. Look at the top of the heap -- SARATOGA! Can't even put the gate in the right place! This is the mark of a slip-shod outfit. NO excuses for this gross incompetence.

[Psychotic Parakeet]

Originally Posted by tlinetrader

Hey all,

Pardon my ignorance on this question. I make my own figures for dirt races which rely on a fairly accurate measure of race distance. I want to take a stab at turf races but not clear on race distance. When a race says "about" with respect to distance what does that mean in actual yards? Is the position of the rail factored in to the published distance or is some sort of adjustment required based on rail position? Is there a rule of thumb for making this adjustment? Thanks in advance for any replys.

I know for a fact that Santa Anita's hillside *6.5F turf course measures 4,225.5 feet long, which is 1408.5 yards. As far as rail position and placement, it doesn't change the length of the race, but I feel it does slightly alter the fractions. I am actually working on turf data between Del Mar and Santa Anita, and definitely need quite a substantial amount of races to see how much of a time difference there is with the run-up and rail placement.

Depending on the track, there are some post positions that get compromised more than others, like the rail post at Santa Anita's turf sprint. Helps to pay attention to those things as well. Hope this helps!