Originally Posted by
Dark Horse
A follow-up question about type of runners, as earlier discussed in this thread. This is slightly adjusted, so I would ask you to criticize it for lack of precision or lack of understanding.
front speed (0-1 length) - rate speed (1-2.5 lengths) - stalk (3-6 lengths) - close (7 and more lengths). Lengths at the second call, and more emphasis on the successful races in the pp's.
Earlier I used speed-press speed-stalk-close-(deep close), but to me, and this may have been my misunderstanding of the concepts, that didn't really express if a horse would usually take the lead (speed versus front speed), and also left it open if the horse was getting into a disadvantageous speed duel or was able to rate (press speed versus rate speed). 'Press speed' seems to express pressure on the front horse, which is useful knowledge. But rate speed gives more of an insight into the horse's own advantage. Does this make sense? Or does press speed already have the rating aspect build in?
Hansen is an example of a horse that was on its way to learning to rate (in the Gotham), until a blue tail fiasco before the next race distracted the horse, and made him forget what he had learned. This past Saturday he got into a speed duel in the West Virginia Derby, as the sky high favorite, and didn't have enough left in the stretch. Mike Smith seemed upset afterwards that the other horse -Hero of Order- had gotten into the speed duel with him. A strange comment that suggested to me that he was unable (or unwilling?) to get Hansen to run in any other way than as a pure speed horse. You discussed Hansen here before, and it seems too late now to change his ways, doesn't it? That would make him a speed or press speed, but never a rate speed. That's basically where the question is coming from. I'd also like to add 'tactical speed', but not quite sure how and where that fits in. It seems to apply to rate speed and stalkers the most, but that may be too easy.