The Amsterdam

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Not only do my splits at least make sense ... but paces in 6.5f Saratoga sprints are NOTORIOUSLY fast.

For instance, take a look at the first 6.5 furlong sprint race run at Saratoga last year.

http://www.drf.com/drfNCWeeklyHorseD...80724&raceNo=7


Knights Cross and Street Magician went head to head through a 21.52 opening quarter going 6.5 furlongs ... the ended up finishing 2nd beat one length and 4th beaten one and a half lengths.

Next out King's Bishop winner Visionaire won the race in time of 1:17.15 over a track that was EXTREMELY dull compared to the one yesterday.

About half of the races run at 6.5fs at Saratoga last year saw a 21 and change opening quarter.

[the_fat_man]

The problem with the original fractions is not the 1st qtr but the 3rd one. No way the 3rd qtr of a dirt race is FASTER than the 1st or 2nd qtrs (assuming a reasonable pace).

To put those fractions out is laughable on the part of NYRA.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

The problem with the original fractions is not the 1st qtr but the 3rd one.

The posted first quarter and second quarter fractions are both 1.30 seconds slow. The posted third quarter fraction is correct.

The 3rd quarter mile seems to fast to believe ... because they have the first two wrong by the same margin.

[the_fat_man]

As long as the 3rd split is slower than first two AND doesn't have the two Captains running sub 22 seconds for it , I'm fine with it.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Not only do my splits at least make sense ... but paces in 6.5f Saratoga sprints are NOTORIOUSLY fast.

For instance, take a look at the first 6.5 furlong sprint race run at Saratoga last year.

http://www.drf.com/drfNCWeeklyHorseD...80724&raceNo=7


Knights Cross and Street Magician went head to head through a 21.52 opening quarter going 6.5 furlongs ... the ended up finishing 2nd beat one length and 4th beaten one and a half lengths.

Next out King's Bishop winner Visionaire won the race in time of 1:17.15 over a track that was EXTREMELY dull compared to the one yesterday.

About half of the races run at 6.5fs at Saratoga last year saw a 21 and change opening quarter.

I read in the charts that the run-up for the race is 64 feet. A few questions:

1. Is that the same as in other races?
2. Is that normal for most tracks?
3. If it's not normal, what is normal?

[cmorioles]

The runup in the Equibase chart yesterday said 40 feet, today it is 64...hmmm.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

The runup in the Equibase chart yesterday said 40 feet, today it is 64...hmmm.

That's strange. It was yesterday on Equibase where I read 64.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I read in the charts that the run-up for the race is 64 feet. A few questions:

1. Is that the same as in other races?
2. Is that normal for most tracks?
3. If it's not normal, what is normal?

The fractions - especially the opening quarter - for 6.5f races at Saratoga have come back crazy fast the last several years.

I'm sure run-up has something to do with it.

My pace figures use the half mile fraction as a pace call for sprints.

For a hypothetic that is tremendously simple to follow - lets say you have three dirt sprint races at Saratoga. One at 6fs - one at 6.5fs - and one at 7fs.

Now lets say that the pace for all three is 45.00 for a half mile.

At six furlongs - the 45.00 pacesetter would get a raw fig of 103

At 6.5 furlongs - the 45.00 pacesetter would get a raw fig of 94.75

At 7 furlongs - the 45.00 pacesetter would get a raw fig of 113.5


That means that paces at 6.5 furlongs are 8.25 points (or 0.30 seconds) faster than 6 furlong ones.

And paces at 6.5 furlongs are 18.75 points (or 0.70 seconds) faster than 7 furlong ones.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

The fractions - especially the opening quarter - for 6.5f races at Saratoga have come back crazy fast the last several years.

I'm sure run-up has something to do with it.

My pace figures use the half mile fraction as a pace call for sprints.

For a hypothetic that is tremendously simple to follow - lets say you have three dirt sprint races at Saratoga. One at 6fs - one at 6.5fs - and one at 7fs.

Now lets say that the pace for all three is 45.00 for a half mile.

At six furlongs - the 45.00 pacesetter would get a raw fig of 103

At 6.5 furlongs - the 45.00 pacesetter would get a raw fig of 94.75

At 7 furlongs - the 45.00 pacesetter would get a raw fig of 113.5


That means that paces at 6.5 furlongs are 8.25 points (or 0.30 seconds) faster than 6 furlong ones.

And paces at 6.5 furlongs are 18.75 points (or 0.70 seconds) faster than 7 furlong ones.

That actually makes perfect sense in regards to the run-up distances. At 6 furlongs the run-up is 40 feet, at 6.5 furlongs the run-up is 64 feet, at 7 furlongs the run-up is 32 feet. So at 6.5 furlongs the horses have had 24 more feet to accelerate to top speed before the timer starts compared to 6 furlong races and double the distance to accelerate over 7 furlong races.

[Gander]

How many races are even run on the Saratoga main at 6.5 furlongs? And out of that number, how many of them are run as stakes, much less with Grade 1 winners in the lineup? It would be surprising if the track record wasnt smashed yesterday given this field.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by Gander

How many races are even run on the Saratoga main at 6.5 furlongs? And out of that number, how many of them are run as stakes, much less with Grade 1 winners in the lineup? It would be surprising if the track record wasnt smashed yesterday given this field.

The Amsterdam had only been run twice at 6.5 furlongs and all the other stakes are for 2yos or NY Breds. So not too surprising this record would go down.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

The Amsterdam had only been run twice at 6.5 furlongs and all the other stakes are for 2yos or NY Breds. So not too surprising this record would go down.

That's true. It's not surprising that the record could go down. That's why not that big a deal should be made of it. The focus of the race should be on how well Quality Road returned and how it sets him and the Capt Candyman up for their next races. The fact that it was a track record is really irrelevant, as evidenced by nearly three horses breaking the record in the same race and four going sub-1:14 4/5