Technical Question

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by magic_idol

I hope some knows the answer to this was talking with a fallow trainer yesterday & i was telling him about the amazing times posted during the breeders cup, he told me that in america the timing beam is set about 10 mtres infront of the starting gates ( as opposed to australia were the beam is mounted on the barriers so beaks when the horses jump out the gates ) so when the horses break the beam in the breeders cup they are allready up to speed can anyone confirm or deny this for me

yeah, it's called a running start. has nothing to do with the times being better yesterday tho, they've done it here that way for years.
i think the times have to do with people getting a better handle on what to do vs what not to do with these surfaces. keeneland has had records fall as well, look at carriage trails' last before the bc.

[witchdoctor]

That is true. What I find frustrating is that the run up to trip the timer varies from track to track. Why can't they just start timing from the time the gate opens like they do in quaterhorse races.

[King Glorious]

On a somewhat related subject, does anyone on here have the answer to why the gate was further back than usual when they ran the 1994 Sprint and it cost Soviet Problem a win? Or is it always that far back at Churchill?