Quote:
Originally Posted by the_fat_man
Every time I watch a EURO turf race I'm struck at how differently the jocks ride over there. They go 2 abreast, like cyclists, for most of the race, then come out, as far as they need to, for the stretch run. Contrast this with NA jocks, who have no problem going without cover for most of the race, then bunch up for the stretch run, resulting in any number of them getting blocked.
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You have to recollect that the stretches over there tend to be 4f or more long, and wide enough to hold a gate with 25 or 30 horses in it. The turns, if there are any (Newmarket can run races up to 10f on the straight), are more like the Belmont main track than a typical 7f-inside-a-mile-oval turf course. Saving ground is rarely a consideration (except at Chester, which is nearly all turn, with a 2f straight).
But Euros do make best use of pacemakers in races like this. The role of the pacemaker isn't to run off like a bat out of hell, either; their brief is to set a strong enough gallop that the milers have to work to keep up and have no sprint left in them late. It's not unusual to see the pacemaker just a couple of lengths in front of the main entrant at the head of affairs in a 12f race.
08-14-2010, 03:40 PM
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