We convert time, "lengths", ground, and weight, into points on our scale. A length has a different value in points at different distances-- about a point per length at 5f, gradually extending to about one point being worth about 2 lengths at 1 1/4 miles.

As I said in an earlier post, based on what we have found out thus far, the degree of "looseness" in the figures could be up to about a quarter point at 10 lengths at a mile. By the time the smoke clears on this, everything should very tight.

Ragozin does not deal directly with Equibase. As far as I know they still have a deal with BRIS, which gets the data from Equibase. My guess is that it was a transcription/input error at some point in the process-- somehow they got the 2 length gap between third and fourth in the 04 Derby as 5 lengths. Manual errors can happen to anybody, and happens to us-- but we don't make nearly the number of mistakes or ones of that magnitude in big races, and when we make one we admit it, and correct it.