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Originally Posted by freddymo
The only thing consisent about 6.5f's races at SPA is the time is always suspect.
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Can I buy you a stop-watch for Christmas?
Again - the times are consistant.
The only difference between 6.5f races at SAR - and races at other sprint distances is that the opening fractions always come back a set amount faster.. and it has a subsquent effect on the other fractions.
For simplicity sake - an opening quarter of 22.00 at 6fs equals 21.70 at 6.5fs - equals 22.40 at 7fs.
As for the Beyer in the '01 Adirondack ... it's as correct as any other fig they've ever done at that distance.
The proof is that the top two who freaked both easily won Grade 1's next out in strong time.
3rd place finisher Magic Storm got a 70...
And the other four horses who ran out of the money all bounced back and ran much faster.
Smok'n Frolic was 5th of 7 beaten 21+ lengths with a 56 Beyer. She came back to run 2nd in the Spinaway with an 86. Won the Grade 3 Tempted by 6+ lengths with an 89 and than ended her 2yo season by winning the Grade 2 Demoiselle by 4+ lengths with a 94 Beyer.
Smokn' Frolic also won a stake race going 5f at Belmont as a 2yo before she got dusted in the Adiorondack.
The real story about the '09 Amsterdam Stakes was how clueless everyone became when a timing malfuction actually did occur at Saratoga.
Instead of timing the race consistant with how every other 6.5f race at Saratoga is timed ... they opted to let NYRA's private clockers do it.
The result of that was that the '09 Amsterdam had the outright slowest opening quarter mile fraction of ALL the 6.5f races run at Saratoga this meet. I believe they came back with 22.45 for the first quarter. Even the bad fields of NY Bred MCL fillies - who went the distance on days when the track was slower - couldn't run that slow to the first quarter.
Like I said .. the 22.45 1st quarter they came back with would be equal to a 22.75 first quarter at 6f or a 23.15 first quarter at 7fs ... not entirely laughable .. but VERY laughable considering how fast the race track was that day - and how much quality speed was in the Amsterdam - and how that quality speed performed .. etc.
Steve Crist - who's normally fantastic at finding and pointing out mistakes - even reported it as though the NYRA's private clockers times cleared things up and could be trusted. What he didn't seem to realize is that their timing, right or wrong, was inconsistant with how EVERY other 6.5f race at Saratoga is timed.
It's not sinking in .... is it?