AP '08 Dates Announced

[JJP]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

I know you read my post three back with the running style statistics, but apparently you didn't understand what it meant as it completely refutes what you are contending here. The 1 1/16 races at AP were not handed to speed horses on a silver platter, compared to the mile chute races the running styles faired remarkably similar, in fact they're nearly identical.

Why should the 1 1/6 mile data be thrown out? I didn't compare it to previous years because frankly I don't have that data and am not interested in it. It was a different surface and track configuration so why would it matter? I was interested in comparing this years 1 1/16 races to the mile chute races, and to the 1 1/16 miles races at Hawthorne. That is entirely valid.

Also since it seems you don't like races handed to speed horses on a silver platter, where are your comments about Hawthorne? Did you look at the data. If anyone is trying to skew their numbers towards speed horses its Hawthorne not AP.

I highly doubt that Arlington management went through the trouble of adding a second finish line and carding 1 1/16 mile races to skew the statistics to make early speed numbers look better. If so they failed miserably.
I believe that there was a demand for the distance from horseman who wanted a 2 turn alternative to 1 1/8 miles.

Maybe you're right. But it does seem odd that they'd take what amounts to, a completely unused distance and start carding many races at it. I saw one day they ran SIX races at 1 1/16. Let me clarify on the running styles at 1 1/16m; speed horses are helped enormously by a short stretch run and short run to the first turn; just check mile races at OP. The fact that AP's result distribution doesn't have a high percentage of w/w winners at 1 1/16 miles is just further evidence of how tiring that track is.

As for Haw, yes speed can carry well, especially on days the rail is great. I also should point out that their spring meets are generally plagued by very small fields, which are less likely to be gapped out big, or have hard 3 way pace battles. I haven't had a chance to see the opening day results; I'm curious to see how the track played.