Question on fraction times.
Say, in a mile race, out of the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter and last quarter which tends to be slower and fastest?
What about if the distance is six furlongs? And at a mile and a half?
Does it depend on track conditions or level of horse?
Thank you, dear knowledgeable friends!
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8605991]
Question on fraction times.
Say, in a mile race, out of the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter and last quarter which tends to be slower and fastest?
What about if the distance is six furlongs? And at a mile and a half?
Does it depend on track conditions or level of horse?
Thank you, dear knowledgeable friends![/QUOTE]
It depends on what I bolded, truly.
It’s often hard to figure this out unless you calculate yourself, because the charts usually post fractional and split times, not perfect quarters. The points of call vary depending on the length of the race. And the points of call are not always equally divided. For example, a short race, like 6 furlongs, usually only has 3 points of call before the finish line, but they are not equal thirds-- they post fractions for the 1/4 mile, the 1/2 mile, then the at the start of the final furlong at the top of the stretch. A 1 1/2 mile race (12 furlongs) has 5 points of call with each being almost perfectly 1/5th of the race.
In my casual observation, longer races and/or races with higher quality horses (two unrelated conditions) are more likely to accelerate in the final quarters. “Cheaper” horses and/or shorter distances are more likely to start off fast and slow down in the final quarters. But it depends on about a gazillion other factors as well, so there’s no one answer IMO. It generally leaves a favorable impression, though, when a horse accelerates throughout a race.
A horse has about 1/4 mile of peak effort in them, it is up the the trainer/jockey as to where they decide to use that peak effort to their advantage
The first quarter is usually the fastest, and with longer races, the last quarter is the slowest.
Unless a horse leads wire-to-wire, raw fractional times can be deceptive. Modern Pace Handicapping by Tom Brohamer recognized the action within the fractions by calculating lengths gained or lost and translating it into velocity in feet per second. For example horse A takes the lead out of the gate and runs the first quarter in 22.2. The half mile is run in 44.6 (22.4 split for the 2nd quarter) but the clock is stopped by the new leader horse B. Horse B was two lengths behind after the first quarter, so it actually ran between 1336 and 1340 feet (depending on how one counts a length) in the 22.4 seconds of the second quarter. Horse B’s velocity was slightly higher in the second quarter than horse A’s was in the first even though the clock said the second quarter was slower in raw time.
MPH is one of the great handicapping books IMHO.
Thanks so much all!! I truly appreciate your time, effort and knowledge.
I’m still rehabbing a bad back and shoulder and spend (too much) time watching TVG. I decided I want to really improve my knowledge on some tb racing areas such as fractional times, what pole is where and some other areas.
“because the charts usually post fractional and split times, not perfect quarters”
Yes, Tex . . . I thought I was starting to learn fractions and then looked at a chart the other day and got lost again. 
I realized that TVG usually announces (or puts on the screen) the fractions for the 1/4 (then the following quarters of a mile- 1/2, 3/4, final) and then the split fraction, if needed (if it is a 5/8, 7/8). I’m trying to get that down pat, meaning get more familiar with the fractions that may go with them, then I have to address chart fractions.
Quarters (2 furlongs, correct?) usually go in anywhere from 22-25 seconds with a furlong averaging 12 seconds? I apologize if these questions are quite basic and I’m trying to apply very broad generalizations but I guess my learning has to start somewhere, right?
Thanks for the book recommendation, OTF, I will look into that one. I did realize what you discussed above but not fully, of course.
Do turf races have similar (or slower or faster) fractions to dirt?
Really simple questions: Exercise riders all go out with a stopwatch and whip for breezes and works, I guess?
Thank you all, again, very much!!
I had a good clock in my head. I can’t imagine breezing a horse especially in company, and having to look at a watch. And yes, of course a whip, especially in company so you can accidentally smack you buddy in the arse if he had been annoying you that morning.
Typical dirt races are run faster early than late. Even that deep closer who rallies from off the pace is usually decelerating at a slower rate that the horses he is passing.
Grass races however are often run quicker late. This is why speed figures (which reflect final time only) are often “skewed” in grass racing. Essentially, in most dirt races, the horses are going as fast as they can all along. Grass horses are often held up early for a sprint to the wire.
Something to keep in mind when looking at, using fractional times to “analogize” a race and or horses is the fact the timer does not start when the gate opens. There is a “run up distance” from the gate to when the timer starts. It can be as little as 5 feet to more than 200 feet. It varies from track to track and at times different races at the same track and day.
Took this from an article that is dated about 7 years ago;
“In American thoroughbred racing, typically the timer doesn’t start when the horses break from the starting gate. There is a “run-up” distance before the timer is started. The distance in feet from the gate until the timer is activated is the new run-up distance that is displayed in the running lines. If you are the type of handicapper that looks at the fractions of a race, the run-up distance display will help you when evaluating the fractional running times since you will know if the field had much of a running start before the timer was triggered. An example of this is the one turn mile races at Gulfstream Park this year. The run-up distance was only five feet, so the timer was triggered almost from a standing start. This explains why the opening quarter times appeared to be slow when compared to the second quarter running times.”
This is a pretty good article on this. The historical times of “famous” races are not as accurate as most people think and or realize.
Then there is this article from the DRF
http://www.drf.com/news/timing-everything-correctly-timing-race-more-complicated-it-looks
In Europe, at least in England, Ireland and France and I am pretty just about all major racing venues outside of this country the timer starts when the gate opens.
Which is way to Americans the fractional times of a lot of races over there appear slow. Unlike this country where all racetracks are an “oval” of different sizes. Basically a “level playing field” other than the “run up”. In Europe the racecourses can and are vastly different. A mile race from start to finish maybe run on a completely straight course. Or it could meander over hill N dale.
By and large trainers, turf writers in Europe don’t pay much attention to “time”. When I was spending a lot of time with trainers on the “gallops” I don[t think I ever saw one with a stop watch. Their assessment of a horse’s “work”, potential was based on a “visual” interpretation and feed back from the rider.
As Woody Stephens was fond of saying; “time only has meaning to someone in jail”. Or something like that.
Sorry I’m late in responding to this!! I truly appreciate everyone’s time, energy and knowledge. Thanks so very, very, very much.
I’m writing notes on the above info you all contributed.
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