Biomechanics Pioneer Paul Mostert Dies at 94

Paul Mostert, one of the founders of the study of the biomechanics in racehorses, died May 6 in Lexington at the age of 94, according to a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader. Mostert served in the Navy until the end of World War II, and would go on to get a Ph.D from Purdue University. A mathematics teacher at the University of Kansas, he retired to work in the field of biomechanics and would develop 14 software programs using mathematical models of the biomechanics of racehorses. He was the president of EQUIX from 1985 to 2003. A graveside service is scheduled for Friday, May 13, at 11:30 a.m. at the Lexington (Ky.) Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations to Rhodes College, where he received his Bachelor's Degree, or to the educational university of one's choice.

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Uses For Biomechanics Data Discussed In Thoroughbred Owner Conference Series

Biomechanics experts joined the eighth session of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference series on Tuesday, Oct. 5, to talk about how the science of biomechanics can be used to identify top racehorses. The conference series is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm.

Television analyst Caton Bredar moderated the panel that included Jeff Seder, president and chief executive officer of Equine Biomechanics & Exercise Physiology Inc. (EQB), and Suzanne Smallwood, president and chief analyst of EQUIX. The session was sponsored by Sackatoga Stable, Silver Springs Stud, and WinStar.

Smallwood and Seder talked about how biomechanics involves analysis of various physical aspects of a horse, from its organ function to stride balance at racing speeds, and that they all can affect its speed and soundness. They noted that they are looking to identify subsets of horses that come from groups that have already been selected by horsemen as having potential.

Seder shared a video of different horses that were breezing at a 2-year-old sale that pointed out the biomechanics deficiencies that can be spotted using slow-motion videos. He showed how data recorded from horses in motion can be displayed in graphical form and emphasized that EQB uses an enormous amount of historical data to effectively analyze the potential of a horse being evaluated in the present.

“We start with really good horsemen, and then we put an overlay of technology on that,” said Seder.

Smallwood's team at EQUIX takes physical measurements of yearlings based on proven data models to predict a horse's growth patterns, racing potential, and overall efficiency. She discussed the different physical measurements, how they can affect a horse's performance, and examples of top racehorses and stallions that fit EQUIX's metrics for success.

“You're still learning all of the time with the biomechanics,” she said.

The next session of the series, “Breeding to Win,” will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. ET. It is sponsored by Centennial Farms and Equilume Performance Lighting.

All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered guests. There is no registration fee for the live or recorded virtual conference series, but registration is required. Registration information and schedules are available at ownerview.com/event/conference or by contacting Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

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Body & Soul: Home Is Where The Heart Is

by Bob Fierro

With apologies to Pliny the Elder, who more than two centuries ago penned those words in the headline, and also to Elvis, who expanded their meaning in a modest ballad of the same name in 1962, we are about to examine what has evolved after at least 40 years as a science-based axiom of racing efficiency and success: How much of a factor does the cardio system of a Thoroughbred influence its ability?

Let us state up front that the answer to that question may depend on which scientific tools or evaluation programs are used to gather the data required. That’s because there are a number of providers which offer services that purport to determine whether a horse’s cardio system (not just the heart, which is part of the system) is capable of generating enough fuel to provide the energy needed to achieve success at either a distance or class level. Your correspondent has been using one such system for more than 30 years.

However, we are here to report a deeply researched study of a particular group of racing prospects and how they fared on the racetrack after their hearts were scanned by ultrasound and their body sizes calculated to determine whether the cardio system “passes or fails” various criteria, described further on in this essay.

The study in question is based on data gathered by DataTrack’s BreezeFigs™ system and published daily since 2005 by Daily Racing Form online (www.drf.com). Simply stated, BreezeFigs is a speed-and-stride-length based “fig” which was earned by every horse that breezed at every major 2-year-old sale held from 2012 through 2017.

Those which pass conformation inspection at the barns are selected for cardio ultrasound scans. Thus, this study concentrated on a focus group of 865 fillies and 1,253 colts whose performance at the sales prompted our analysts to obtain those scans.

The data gathered from each scan is run through an algorithm that takes into consideration the size of the heart, its pumping efficiency and the horse’s body size. This gives us a Cardio Score which is based on a numerical system that is akin to a “report card” of six grades of equal decimal distance: A, B+, B, C+, C, D–the higher the numerical score the higher the “report card Cardio Grade,” ergo the more efficient the system for that horse.

What the system does not do, however, is disqualify a racing prospect based on the size of the heart alone because body size and cardio pumping efficiency play a big role in the score. A simple analogy might be to compare the size and structure of the horse to an automobile model and the efficiency of the cardio system to horsepower of the engine, to wit:

A horse which is a Maserati in structure with what appears to be an average size heart may generate a B+ Cardio Grade because that heart (engine) can rev up quickly to deliver the right amount of fuel for that chasis. However, if the heart is more like the engine of a Chevy Suburban, it will most likely take a longer time to pump up to overall efficiency and the race could be over, and thus wind up with a C+ Cardio Grade.

The first conclusion reached was that, in general, the higher the Cardio Grade the more starts and average earnings. For example, fillies that won only one race but had a B or B+ Cardio Grade averaged more starts and twice the earnings of those with a Cardio Grade C that won one race. Similarly, colts with a Cardio Grade B that won three or more races earned 50% more on average than colts with a Grade C average that won three or more races. There are plenty of other examples, but one should get the drift.

The dividing line was even stronger when it came to stakes winners which, after all, is what everyone wants to buy. Below are the distributions per Cardio Grade of black-type winners in North America and countries to which 2-year-old graduates were exported. As the charts indicate, more than 80% of the fillies and colts that won stakes races had Cardio Grades of B or better.

With data such as this, one can appreciate the irony of lyrics of a tune from Damn Yankees…

“You’ve gotta have heart,

All you really need is heart

When the odds are sayin’ you’ll never win,

That’s when the grin should start.”*

… which these days can apply with equal meaning to humans and those who breed, own, train, ride and bet on Thoroughbreds.

*Composed by Richard Adler & Jerry Ross

Bob Fierro is a partner with Jay Kilgore and Frank Mitchell in DataTrack International, biomechanical consultants and developers of BreezeFigs.  He can be reached at bbfq@earthlink.net

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