Equibase acknowledges and corrects Ky Derby chart errors
 

Equibase published a revised chart for the Derby, with some significant changes in the margins between various finishers.

http://www.drf.com/news/equibase-cor...ky-derby-chart

Three errors were made:

"Solomini had initially been listed as finishing 2 ½ lengths ahead of Firenze Fire. The revised chart now lists the margin as 12 ½ lengths. In addition, the margin between the 12th-place finisher, Bolt d’Oro, and the 13th-place finisher, Flameaway, has been changed from a head to 6 ¼ lengths, while the margin between Flameaway and Enticed has been changed from a head to 4 ¼ lengths."

If 3 mistakes that large can be made in a race as scrutinized as the Kentucky Derby, it makes me wonder how accurate the chart info is in a typical race.

It's accurate. The guy made a mistake, and corrected as soon as he realized it. These guys have a painstaking job, yet they happen to be very good at it. Some are serious perfectionists,and it kills them when they realize they made a mistake.

He made 3 mistakes, and they were data entry mistakes. Apparently the raw observational data was accurate.

According to the article, the mistakes were brought to the chart-maker's attention by Craig Milkowski and other speed fig makers. Had it not been noticed, then the ten horses finishing 11th through 20th would have been given BSF's between about 16 to 32 points higher than they got with the corrected chart.

I doubt mistakes like this would have been noticed if it had been a routine midweek race.