Racehorse Runner

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The horses are listed from top to bottom in the predicted running order.  Races are scored for the scheduled racing surface.  Off turf selections in the race heading is the predicted order of finish if the race is transferred to the main track. Factors used in scoring  races are speed, class, conditions, day intervals between starts, weight carried, distance/surface record, jockey/trainer record, purses/claiming prices, ascending/descending beyers, change of rider,  changes in equipment/medication, and workout times/rankings.  But, by design, I keep it simple and readable.  At a quick glance, you can analyze a race with respect to the class of the field, and the abundance or lack of early speed. 

Race Heading:

- track
- race
- time of day
- age restriction
- sex restriction
- race distance
- race surface (blank: main track, T: turf course)
- race type or class
- purse in thousands
- predicted running order if turf race transferred to main track

Horse detail:   

- program number (followed by asterisk for 1st time starter)
- horse name
- age/sex/state-bred/sire-rank*  (ASBredSire) 
- jockey
- weight
- trainer
- lifetime races **
- estimated fractions at the quarter and half mile.  For first time starters, workouts less than 4 furlongs are used to estimate 1/4 mile, workouts of 4 furlongs and longer are used to estimate 1/2 mile.  European horses with no American races have no fractional times.  In this case, time form ratings, purses, distances, and record are used to score races.  For quarter horse races, the estimated finishing times are listed in the 1/4 column.
- pace difference  (+/-) ***
- estimated final time or final score (Fin)
- predicted running order first call (Spd) - the 1/4 column sorted
- average purse value in thousands adjusted for state bred or restricted races ($$)
- predicted running order finish (Fin)
- morning line odds (M/L)

* The sire's, or dam sire's, current year ranking to date (whichever is higher), in the category that applies to today's race. This ranking is based on earnings of the top 500 sires of North American thoroughbreds in each of these five categories - turf, sprint, mile, route, and all-weather (for main tracks with synthetic surfaces).  The rankings are in the category corresponding to today's scheduled surface and distance.  The lower the number, the higher the ranking.  Sires not ranked in the top 500 will have a  ranking of zero (0).  I find these sire rankings helpful in handicapping maiden and turf races.  First time starters can often be handicapped based solely on this statistic.   

** This number can be useful when considering maiden and condition races.  For example, a horse with 42 lifetime starts is usually not a good bet if he hasn't broken his maiden yet.  I favor lightly raced horses in Mdn, MSW, N2L, N3L, and N4L (maiden claiming, maiden special weight, and non-winners of X lifetime races).  The better horses usually clear their conditions early in their career.

*** the difference in lengths between the estimated first and second quarters.  For example, a horse with  fractions :22-0 :46-0 gets a (-10) pace difference because, at 5 horse lengths per second, he runs the second quarter 10 lengths slower than the first.  A horse that runs :24-0 :48-0  gets a (0) pace difference because he runs the second quarter in exactly the same time as the first.  So, a horse with :25-0 :49-0 gets a (+5).  This is NOT an indication of total speed.  It merely gives a indication of running style with respect to the first two quarters of a race. I use this column to determine how much early speed / late speed is in the race.  A race with all positive numbers in this column has no true front-runners.  Conversely, a race with all negative numbers in this column has no true closers.  This is where we find lone speed and lone closers, although most races have no significant bias one way or another.