How are lengths calculated in horse racing?

How do you calculate a finishing time for a horse?

From the ‘lengths beaten’ for each horse you can calculate a finishing time for each horse as a length is equal to a certain fraction of a second, as given below. Always use the correct lengths per second for the race run.

How many lengths per second is a horse race?

It used to be that 1 second always covered 5 lengths but since June 15th 2008 the British Horseracing Authority has set the following distances as equating to one second of time for all UK horse races. In some books (especially American ones) you might see 5 lengths per second as being the norm.

What is the size of a field in a race?

Field Size – Tiny (fewer than 4 runners), Small (5 to 12 runners) and Large (more than 12 runners) Race Class – High (Classes 1, 2 and 3) and Low (Classes 4, 5 and 6) The number of races that took place in each category is given in Table 1 below.

How do you improve a horse’s official rating?

Not only do you have to ensure that all of the horses are entered into suitable races and that the weather will go your way, but you also want them to run well. That is because running well in a race can improve a horse’s official rating. The higher the official rating, the better class of race the horse can run in.

What is a winning distance in horse racing?

Use in horse racing. Horses may be described as winning by several lengths, as in the notable example of Secretariat, who won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths (248 feet (76 m)). More often, winning distances are merely a fraction of a length, such as half a length. In British horse racing the distances between horses are calculated by converting…

Do horses carry more weight than in the last race?

The figures are pretty much the same as in all races. Horses carrying more weight than in their last race, which was of the same class, won more than those carrying less. The above table examines handicap races where the last race was a handicap too.

What is class in horse racing?

Let’s start with an understanding of what class is about in horse racing. Simply put it is the level at which a race horse is competitive. The level where it has a reasonable chance of winning. By sorting class out in a race, punters can do a better job of lining up the form when there is a mix of horses with different historical form lines.

Are there any differences in prize money between horse races?

One of the most obvious being the potential for significant differences in prize money for a similar class of horse race. Some punters put each race grade into a hierarchy from Weight for Age races and Group 1’s all the way down to Maiden’s in the country. A horses form is then weighted on account of the grade in which it occurred.

How many lengths-per-second are in a horse race?

The actual number of lengths-per-second varies according to the type of race and the going conditions. For example, in a flat turf race run on good going, a value of six lengths-per-second is used; in a national hunt race on heavy going, where horses are assumed to be moving more slowly, the value is four lengths-per-second.

What is length in horse racing?

A length in horse racing is actually a measurement of time but is based simply on the length of a horse and it’s stride pattern, typically 8 to 9 feet long. This measurement of a length is used to describe the winning margins between horses in races. How Are Lengths Used In Horse Racing To Measure Winning Distances?

What is the lengths per second of a 9 foot horse?

If a horse is 9 feet long, and a 6f race is run in :22, :45, and 1:10, what is his lengths per second? 1320 feet in 22 seconds is 60 feet per second, or 6.67 lengths per second for the 9 foot long horse.

How long is a horse in a race?

The exact measurement of a race’s length can vary based on the horse’s size and stride pattern but is generally about 8 to 9 feet. A length is a measurement of the distance as the horses cross the finish line. Let’s say Horse A is 8 feet long and finishes first in a race.

How is horse racing distance calculated?

In British horse racing, the distances between horses are calculated by converting the time between them into lengths by a scale of lengths-per-second. The actual number of lengths-per-second varies according to the type of race and the going conditions.

What is the expected time for 2nd place horse to finish?

If the race was completed in 2 minutes 0 seconds and the 2nd place horse finished 5 lengths behind the winner, it is expected that the horse who was second finished the race in 2 minutes 1 second. Please let me know if you need any other information.

What is the average time of a horse race?

-The standard race time in 2014 was 1 minutes 50 seconds.* *Estimates only. **Harness racing is less popular form of horse racing (eg, Secretariat, Seabiscuit, etc), but I’ll use it as a basis because each race is started at full speed.**

Why are long distance races so difficult to win?

It could be explained by High Class long distance races being run at a different pace – more of a crawl and sprint, resulting in compressed winning distances, rather than an end to end gallop. Winning distances are higher in Small Field Size races.

How do you calculate the value of a horse race?

This setting is used to translate the value of each horse race by dividing the prize money awarded to the winner by 1000 and rounding the value then multiplying this figure by your setting. The maximum rounded value before applying your setting is 20 (therefore a race worth 500,000 would still have a score of 20).

Why choose Timeform for your horse racing website?

Everything with Timeform is centred around adding value for the racing fan. A lot of racing websites have geared themselves towards adverts and bookmaker offers, but Timeform has always focused on finding winners, providing excellent race analysis and also providing solid statistical information.

How to use Timeform to evaluate the prospects of runners?

In using Timeform to assess the prospects of the various runners in any race, you must first find out which of them are most favoured by the weights by using the ratings to evaluate the chances of all the runners purely on a handicap basis.

How does weight affect a horse’s rating?

In most races, horses carry different weights, which affect their performance, and this must be reflected in their rating. For example if two 4YO geldings go to the line locked together in a dead heat and one carried 54kg, while the other carried 60kg, it makes no sense to rate these performances as equal.

What makes a horse a running horse?

Translated out of engineering language, this means that a running horse is just a weight on the end of a stick that is being repeatedly rotated about a point on the ground. My second assumption is that all horses are the same size and weight (without rider and ballast) and have identical stride lengths.

How much is a horse worth in horse racing?

Prize monies for the top races can well exceed £1,000,000 with top horses worth tens of millions, not just for their ability to win races but also for their value once they go out to stud. National Hunt racing is the name for racing in the UK, Ireland and France where horses must jump hurdles, fences and ditches.

What is the principle of horse racing?

The principle is however the same, horses are rated on ability and their ratings allow them to compete in different classes and grades of races. The higher the grade or class the better the quality of racing and usually the higher the prestige and prize money.

How many lengths per second does a horse go on flat?

Flat – Turf. 6 lengths per second on going Good or quicker. 5 lengths per second on going Soft, Good to Soft in Places, Soft or slower. 5.5 lengths per second if the going is between the above (Good to Soft or in places etc.)

How many seconds does it take a horse to run a mile?

8/48 = .1666666… seconds per horse length. 1 mile is 5280 ft, length of horse is 8 ft, so. 5280 / 8 = 660 horse lengths around the track. For your standard of 8 ft horse going at a rate of .2 sec per length gives. 8/.2 = 40.