sorry, shouldn\'t have mixed threads, let\'s keep the BC issue separate. c\'stoppers start?
Post Edited (12-11-04 11:18)
and TGJB, i am not taking sides here. i am starting with c\'stoppers start because, well, that is where the race started. there are other issues that we can get to regarding the sprint.
Trying to adjust figures for bad starts seems like a bad practice to me. For one, many horses are habitually bad starters, so why upgrade them for this habit? Secondly, horses like Clock Stopper that lag early aren\'t hindered at all by a poor start. They are able to steer to the rail much easier rather than getting jostled around in traffic.
Side note on adjusting figures...is there an adjustment for horses that move wide in the stretch? Many times you see a horse on the rail have to swing 4 or 5 wide to get around some horses, and they are certainly losing ground and momentum. Obviously any move other than straight ahead costs a little. Just curious.
I don\'t know about its ok for closers to break bad, good ex. of that was Evening Attire last week. EA broke poorly and I think he was wide. It\'s hard enough for closers to win as it is now and breaking so much behind the group is not going to help.
We don\'t adjust the figures for \"off poorly\" for exactly that reason-- we just mark it next to the figure, so you can decide what to do with it.
Unless it\'s extreme, changing lanes in the stretch doesn\'t cost much distance. And even on those occasionswhere it costs a half length or so, it would be really tough to measure.