Pimlico Racetrack
 

I've been reading alot on-line from trainers saying they are entering the Preakness because Pimlico is a speed favoring track (due to tight turns). Is this really true? While I don't have the stats, I remember during an ESPN 2007Preakness preview, one of the announcers stating Pimlico is not speed favoring.

Looking at the Preakness winners since 2000, I would have to agree. The winners, excluding War Emblem, were presser types runners.

2000 - Red Bullet, 2001 - Point Given, 2002 - War Emblem, 2003 - Funny Cide
2004 - Smarty Jones, 2005 - Afleet Alex, 2006 - Bernardini, 2007 - Curlin

Where's MissCashAlot when we need her. She has all these types of stats at her fingertips.

Pimlico's track is notoriously inside speed favoring but I don't think it has anything to do with the turns. . .

I think someone has actually done mathematical analysis that concluded Pimlico's turns weren't any tighter than those of Churchill Downs.

Anyway, Curlin came from a ways off the pace last year, but the others mentioned fit an entirely different pattern.

The tight turn theory was a hot topic for the Breeders Cup at Monmouth. One of the pictures at this link compares Monmouth with Pimlico.
http://www.jessicachapel.com/railbir..._monmouth.html
I went to the BC there and didn't think it was that big a factor. Of course, the mud kind of buried most track condition considerations.

Pimlico 1 Year Fast Route stats
24/76 or 31.6% W2W winners (20% par)
47/76 or 61.8% winners sitting 1-2-3 at first call (50% par)
Average field size is just above 7

Pimlico current meet Fast Route stats
7/31 or 22.6% W2W winners (20% par)
19/31 or 61.3% winners sitting 1-2-3 at first call (50% par)
Average field size is close to 7

A couple of years ago, one of the networks placed photos of each track over each other and they both matched up exactly, dispelling the notion of tighter turns. Now the degree of the bank of the turns is still out there!

I was going to make a comment about this before I read yours. They do this every year. I was going to say they need to come up with something else to talk about. If they stick Pimlico inside of Belmont to compare one more time im going to lose it.

Apparently we forgot to tell Paul about our conclusions about Pimlico's turns.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...d-to-preakness

He says on Bloodhorse.com :confused: Can we just get all the people at that Alibi Breakfast to watch a quick powerpoint presentation on the turns at Pimlico and clear it up once and for all?

Exhibit A: http://www.east-coast-bias.com/2008/...ght-turns.html Exhibit B: http://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/16/sp...l?pagewanted=1 (says the turns are actually longer)

The tight turn myth is due particularly to the banking of the turns.

I thought I remembered you saying something like that on ATR, but I was confused because the NY Times article Steve Crist wrote said there wasn't evidence to support that--doesn't mean there isn't any, it's just they didn't have it when he wrote the article in 1988.

I smell a segment opportunity for Kenny Mayne..:D