MY CALL - IGNORE SECTIONAL TIMES AT YOUR PERIL
By David Fowler | Tuesday, February 12, 2013
David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.
Never underestimate the importance of sectional times.
It was actually the harness racing industry who were the first code to place their faith in the breakdown of the time of the race.
How fast or how slow they go will clearly have an impact on the result.
Rocket scientist you may not be but if they "walk" in front, the cap catchers are going to find their task extremely high.
And those same cap catchers will be more forceful in a finish if the tempo is strong at the front end.
The thoroughbred world now places great stock in sectional times and the reason I address the subject is to highlight how two beaten Eagle Farm favourites on the weekend were victims of "how the race was run ".
***************************************************************************************************************
In Flying Home's broadcast, I commented in the run on, "there was no excuse today".
I was wrong.
Flying Home's racing pattern is to settle out the back. An honest tempo is high on his priority list.
But that didn't eventuate with Break The Ice hacking along in front.
As such, the last 600m was delivered in a swift 34.2 seconds. Even a 1200m open sprint would do well to manage such a sectional.
Flying Home did as well as he could and ran his own 600m in 33.8 yet couldn't fill a place.
Pace victim number one.
***************************************************************************************************************
Races over 800m to 1000m are in a special category or a world of their own.
There are short course specialists who can scamper over a 1000m flutter in a certain time. They might end up at a slow crawl if the race was a metre further but at that distance they can consistently provide a certain time.
Enter Shafeeq. He ran the 1000m on Saturday in 56.7 (last 600m in 33.7) near the fence.
We saw him deliver a 57.1 performance at the same track and trip last September.
So a backmarker or a semi backmarker is going to have run around 56.5 to win.
Enter hotpot Better Than Ready. Not only his pattern to settle midfield but he also covered ground from his wide gate.
Better Than Ready zoomed home in 33.1 seconds for his last 600m but that wasn't quite slick enough to overhaul Shafeeq.
As a punter, ignore sectional times at your peril.
***************************************************************************************************************
Beaudesert was back on the TAB circuit on Sunday and looked smick.
The camera was positioned at precisely the right level to deliver great pictures of a now boutique track with a bowling-green circuit and bright white running rail.
The Tattsbet turnover in excess of a quarter of a million was more than handy considering it was afforded Sky 2 coverage and in competition with Sunshine Coast.
The one lingering doubt I have with the Beaudeserts and Kilcoys is will punters retain their betting enthusiasm with their tight-turning circuits and short straights?
Beaudesert was quite "leaderish" on Sunday and at Kilcoy you can blink at the home turn and they're past the post.
Only time will tell.
***************************************************************************************************************
Opinions were divided on how successful the new fluctuation system worked at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Expect the issue to get plenty of airplay when Racing Queensland meets the Queensland Bookmakers Association this Thursday.
Until next week
More articles
|