Sectional Timing was tested in KZN during the GTH series last year and data is now available for Hollywoodbets Greyville and Hollywoodbets Scottsville meetings (Picture: gthracing.co.za).
An important scientific complimentary tool of the trade for punters and racing enthusiasts, sectional timing data can enhance both the form study and horseracing viewing experience and is currently being phased in on both KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape race meetings.
Sectional timing data, which has been produced by the internationally acclaimed French company McLloyd, who also provide the service to French and Hong Kong horseracing, is currently available on the Winning Form website (www.winningform.co.za) for Hollywoodbets Greyville and Hollywoodbets Scottsville race meetings.
The tracking of races from Hollywoodbets Kenilworth has commenced and once the data has been reviewed, it will also be made available. Data from Hollywoodbets Durbanville will be added once racing resumes there.
In a game that is subject to multi-faceted variables from weather to human judgement, timing information is a scientific beacon of light that will not only enhance the Gallop TV race-viewing experience, but easy-to-interpret data can also highlight exceptions, like an individual standout performance that suggests the horse may be one to follow.
Each race is after all, an individual event, with sectional timing data allowing the form student to ascertain how efficiently the particular heat was run – something that is often subject to perception and is not always evident to the naked eye.
Easy-to-read data also provides one with the opportunity to highlight the pace of the race, when a horse is going faster or slower than the rest of the field, and when some riders may have made race-winning or losing moves, by possibly going too fast, or being forced to give ground away.
Face value form assessment can be misleading in instances, and this is another area where sectional timing can be a valuable filter.
Just as the time taken by a horse which ran an efficient race by not going too fast and maintaining a good finish to the line, could be an accurate depiction of that horse’s ability, another on the same day might have run inefficiently, cantering early on and sprinting for home, and thus the actual time recorded might be an unfair reflection of that horse’s true ability and worth putting a line through.
For the astute form student, an accurate assessment of the pace from the data provided could also produce a valuable ‘black-book’ of horses to follow, which can increase the chances of winning the exotics, or even the Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge!
The ‘raw data’ on Winning Form is currently available to download by exporting all races, or race-by-race, to Excel or CSV files. Thereafter, the data may be utilised and tailored by individual users to generate their own reports.
The Winning Form website will also house standard ‘Sectional Reports’, which may also be downloaded to Excel and CSV.
These reports include:
Time Per Sector – this gives the time per horse per sector as adjusted to the official winning time. This also shows the data for the 800m-400m and 400m-Finish splits.
Position & Lengths Behind – this gives each horses’ position per sector and the lengths behind the lead horse and will be followed by:
Position Per Sector – this gives each horse’s position per sector
Kph Per Horse Per Sector – this gives the average speed of each horse per sector
Data from the Winning Form database will be supplemented into these reports, to provide details of the trainer, jockey and weight carried as part of the ongoing development.
This sectional timing project is intended as a customer friendly value-add to boost the enjoyment, understanding and ultimately the rewards that punters and fans gain from watching the world’s most exciting ‘brain game’.
The project is a work-in-progress and the public are invited to comment and make suggestions, including providing personal recommendations of other standard reports that we could create and implement and that may prove beneficial.
Please click here using your Hollywoodbets account number and login password to have your say – Tracking@winningform.co.za – all ideas are welcome!
