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Speed
Ratings In The USA
The major
difference between racing in the UK and in the USA is
that in the UK the majority of racing takes place on
the turf and in the USA on the 'dirt' (what we call
all weather racing). The article below was taken from
www.drf.com which is
the USA equivalent of the Racing Post in many ways and
gives an insight into how speed figures are used
across the pond.
A number of
years ago the father of speed figures, not only in the
USA but probably around the world, Andy Beyer, began
to handicap races by speed and this soon changed the
way that all gamblers in the USA rated their races.
The Beyer
Speed Figures are a numerical representation of a
horse's performance, based on the final time and the
inherent speed over the track on which the race was
run. The higher the Beyer Speed Figure, the better the
performance. Beyer Speed Figures are interchangeable
from track to track and from distance to distance. So,
a horse who is stepping up in class but has been
posting recent Beyer Speed Figures in the 90's may in
reality be simply faster than a horse dropping out of
seemingly better races, but who has been posting Beyer
Speed Figures in the 80's.
Since the
inclusion of the Beyer Speed Figures into Daily Racing
Form in 1992, the betting public has gained easier
access to these irreplaceable ratings. Therefore, from
a parimutuel standpoint, it can be reasonably assumed
that these figures have slowly decreased in their
effectiveness and value over the past 12 years. The
truth, however, is just the contrary. Beyer Speed
figures are still one of the most powerful
handicapping instruments available and still offer
betting value when applied appropriately. Modern speed
handicappers who have managed to incorporate other
important handicapping variables into their
handicapping routine, and have learned how to
effectively interpret Beyer Speed Figures, still hold
a comfortable edge over their rival bettors who are
not as well versed.
Beyer Speed
Figures are one of the most practical starting points
for any bettor's handicapping regimen. They are the
logical stepping stone before applying other
handicapping concepts. A horse's most recent and next
to most recent Beyer Speed Figure is a strong
indication of his raw speed, and therefore the
ultimate determining factor as to whether the horse is
fast enough to compete with the other entrants he
faces today. In most races, where horses have already
had 5 or 6 races under their belt and are unlikely to
undergo any further dramatic improvement, 20 to 25
percent of the field can be eliminated on Beyer Speed
Figures alone. If a horse regularly earns figures in
the 50's, and is meeting a handful of runners who
always run in the 70s, it's safe to say he has little
chance. Under most circumstances, these types of
horses become automatic throw outs. They are simply
too slow to compete. On the flip side of the coin, a
horse that earned a poor Beyer in its last race, but
has earned competitive Beyers in his other previous
races, could have had a legitimate excuse for turning
in such a poor effort.
This leads
us to our next step, which is to determine how each
horse, whether it's those that have earned more
competitive numbers or those that have had
disappointing efforts, achieved their figures. Were
these figures earned under the same distance and track
surface the horse faces today? Did a muddy or sloppy
surface affect a horse's last performance? Is a horse
more likely to return back to its more competitive
figures on a fast track? Was the pace scenario of the
last race favourable or unfavourable to a horse's
running style, which may have inflated or deflated his
figure? Does the horse's trainer have a positive
training angle working in his favour today? Or,
finally, did a horse suffer a poor performance as a
result of a rough trip or unfavourable track bias?
Basically, it's the handicapper's goal to decipher
whether there's a good reason to ignore or accept a
horse's most recent Beyer figure or figures. If a
legitimate excuse could be made for a recent poor
figure, and that particular horse is going off at
generous odds today, there may be an optimum betting
opportunity available.
Beyer Speed
Figures are a valuable tool for all handicappers.
Unfortunately, evaluating and applying Beyer Speed
Figures are not as straightforward as the mechanics
used in formulating the numbers themselves. The key to
utilizing them effectively is finding circumstances
where they offer the most value. In most cases, it
requires that you go a lot further than looking to see
which horse or horses earned the highest Beyer Figure
in their last race. Their real value lies in finding a
horse that has had a legitimate excuse for running an
inferior figure in its last or next to last recent
effort. You may find that based on some of his efforts
three or four races back, that this same horse can
more than compete today with a return to its best
Beyer Speed Figure.
Top Beyer
Speed Figures
Since the
Beyer Speed Figures were incorporated in Daily Racing
Form past performances in 1992, horseplayers have had
a new tool to use in their day-to-day handicapping.
But the figures also offer a way to address questions
that always spark lively debate among racing fans. Who
are the best horses of a given year? Of a decade? Of
all time?
In the
period from 1992 to 1999, many fans using traditional
handicapping measurements would choose Cigar as the
outstanding horse; his 16-race winning streak was an
extraordinary achievement. Others might cast their
votes for Holy Bull or Skip Away. But from the
standpoint of speed figures, the best horse was one
who never won a championship and never got the acclaim
he deserved: Formal Gold.
In 1997, he
recorded Beyer Speed Figures of 126, 124 and 125 in
consecutive races -- three of the eight highest
numbers earned during the years from 1992 to 1999. (In
all three of these performances he trounced Skip Away,
who ran fast enough to win many Grade 1 stakes but
couldn't get close to Formal Gold.) And this
remarkable streak wasn't his only distinction; Formal
Gold had won his career debut with a figure of 112 --
the best Beyer Speed Figure ever earned by a
first-time starter.
Cigar, by
contrast, never recorded a figure higher than 121, and
usually ran in the vicinity of 117. Although he was an
exceptional competitor with many virtues, he managed
to go through his record winning streak without
encountering a rival who stepped up and ran a
blockbuster number. The fastest sprinter in the period
from 1992-1999 was Artax. Although he was an
in-and-outer for much of his career, he recorded
figures of 124, 123 and 123 in his championship season
of 1999 -- three of the six best sprint numbers during
the eight-year span.
The most
extraordinary speed-figure achievement since we
started publishing our numbers in 1986 belonged to the
sprinter Groovy. He started his 1987 campaign with
back-to-back victories in six-furlong stakes, in which
he earned figures of 133 and 132. No horse since then
has broken the 130 mark.
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