Re: Another View of Modern Racing From Bobby Trussell (495 Views)
Posted by:
Michael D. (IP Logged)
Date: October 05, 2007 02:54PM
TGJB Wrote:
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> 2-- You do understand that the same people are
> making both the dirt and grass figures and using
> the same process, right? So if we are making a
> mistake with one, we would make it with both--
> right?
wrong.
dirt runners, on balance, have more of a progression in terms of distance, especially the younger horses. many of the triple crown runners go from 7f and up until they get to the mile and a quarter. if you are tying all these races together, and the breed is indeed better suited for the shorter distances, you are going to get the longer races too fast; you will get drift when in fact the horses are not running any faster on the longer end.
turf horses tend to run in a closer range of distances. if you are tying them all together, you don't run the above mentioned risk (or not to the same degree). the top mile and a half horses might run 1 race at 9f or 10f, and the top 9f horses might run a 8.5f race, but you rarely get the 7f, 1M, 8.5f, 9f, 10f type progression. now, things have changed over the past two years. tracks are starting to card more turf sprints, and some of the 3 yr olds that wind up in the big turf races later in the year might start the year in a 7f turf race.