Question on mechanics: Each week the ROTW provides a basic explanation for TG numbers by defining the TG numbers assigned for lengths lost, weight carried and paths raced away from the rail.

This week I tried to work through the numbers for two horses in the Mass Cap coming out of the Whitney (Fairbanks and Brass Hat).

Fairbanks (beaten 7 ½ lengths) beat Brass Hat (beaten 12 ¾ lengths) by 5 ¼ lengths however Brass Hat raced 6 lengths further (5w +5w) – (2w + 2w) and carried 10 extra pounds (126 – 116) as opposed to this week where he carries only 1 extra pound (116 – 115) giving him credit for another 1 ¾ lengths rounded.

Therefore Brass Hat (-5 ¼ + 6 + 1 ¾ ) was 2 ½ lengths better then Fairbanks which should equate to between 1 ¼ and 1 ½ points at the Whitney distance of 1 1/8 miles but in fact the difference in the TG numbers is only ¾ point. What I am doing wrong here? Perhaps, the answer is in the phase “the figures are adjusted for weight carried in previous races”, out of the ROTW write up.

Thanks for considering this question.