In Figures We Trust

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by philcski

Then again, one could make the argument that a horse might be capable of running a 101 Beyer at 5.5F and be completely hopeless at 7F (there's plenty of those types at Charles Town.)

I think the best way to treat figures at quirky distances like 5.5F or 7.5F are to cross them out in the form and ignore them.

This is more of what I was looking for.

I think that distances differences of even .5F do make a difference. They certainly make a difference for horses at GG, TAM, TP, PID, etc. (of the tracks that I play). Before we dismiss this as a case of cheap horses, this also holds pretty well at WO, where there are horses that excel going 5F, that can't sniff 6F; and 6F runners that are hopeless going 7F and struggle to get 6F. (Hopeless in terms of have zero chance to win, as I don't know what their numbers are.)

I think if Campo were to regularly card 5F, 5.5F, and more 6.5F races, along with the 6F and 7F dirt staples, we'd see this was also the case for many of the better quality horses.

I don't know how this fits in with Fastus Cactus, however, as he's won going 7F on poly.