Inside the Trip: Super Saturday Data
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Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
Catch your breath from Super Saturday? It sure was a busy day at Trakus and with the Breeders’ Cup looming, let’s dive into the most compelling data from the wild day of racing across America.
Jockey Club Gold Cup
Ron the Greek obliterated the competition in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, winning by almost seven lengths. He also covered the equivalent of almost three lengths less than the next most ground-saving horse in the race – a fairly significant point which must be addressed.
The starting gate placement in 1 ¼-mile starts at Belmont is the most unique for a major North American dirt race. Placed against the outside rail at the base of the first turn, almost every horse bar the inside drawn runner is going to cover some extra ground, immediately after the break. Outside draws are far from fatal, though. Saint Liam won the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Belmont drawn in gate 13, for example.
Still, last Saturday, Ron the Greek’s trip was ridiculously advantageous. Take note of the data below, with the number of feet each horse traveled, their final quarter-mile times, the official margin of defeat, and the Trakus-adjusted margin (TAM). To determine the TAM, you convert the extra feet traveled to lengths and subtract the actual margin from that figure.
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