The Texas Thoroughbred Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have scheduled the 2022 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for Wednesday, Apr. 6. The breeze show will be held at the Dallas-area racetrack Monday, Apr. 4.
“Based on what we saw with the Texas Summer Yearling Sale, I think there's a lot of anticipation for the upcoming Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in April,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “I think we're uniquely positioned in the 2-year-old sales landscape to provide a quality sale for our owners, trainers, and breeders and still attract out of region buyers and sellers.”
Lone Star Park kicks off its 2022 Thoroughbred meet with 48 days of racing Apr. 28. The Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, for TTA Sales graduates and Accredited Texas-breds made eligible through consignor or buyer berths, will be held on closing weekend at Lone Star with two divisions, each at $150,000 guaranteed. Graduates of the Texas Yearling or 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will also be eligible for the new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks for 3-year-olds. Both races will be held at Sam Houston Race Park in 2023.
“The expanded stakes program for Texas Thoroughbred Association sales graduates certainly gives buyers something extra to think about when they're bidding on horses,” Bridewell said. “Also, thanks to the passage of HB 2460 in 2019, the Texas horse industry benefits from the infusion of $25 million per year, increasing purses and Accredited Texas-bred incentive awards,” Bridewell added. “It really does pay to breed, sell and race in Texas.”
The Entry Deadline for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale is Jan. 17, and consignment forms are now available at www.ttasales.com.
There's nothing quite as exciting as a back-and-forth battle down the stretch, but when it comes down to a close finish right at the wire, how is it that we find out which horse gets to head to the winner's circle?
Most race fans have seen the image resulting from a photo finish. The process of creating that image is not as well known, however, which can lead to confusion about its veracity.
Rather than a still shot of the entire field, the photo finish image is actually a compilation of multiple narrow images taken precisely at the finish line. The completed photo finish image shows the location of each horse in the field as it crosses that finish line.
Moving objects, such as racehorses traveling at upwards of 40 miles per hour, thus appear to be stationary. Conversely, a stationary object would appear in the photo finish stretching across the entire image.
Up in the judges' stand, the photo finish cameras are never moved, explained Lone Star Park placing judge Kimber Murray. Each course (dirt or turf) has its own camera, which is attached to the grandstand at a fixed location directly parallel to a narrow mirror on the inside rail. That mirror allows a “reverse image” of the finish line to appear on the photo finish image, to help placing judges determine placings in those instances in which horses on the outside may block their side-on view.
The highest-rated cameras take photos at a rate up to 2,000 frames per second and are accurate within 1/1000th of a second, according to the website of FinishLynx, the photo finish system in place at all three venues that host the American Triple Crown. The same system is in use at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, as well as the Dubai Racing Club.
“The technology is amazing,” said Murray. “That part I don't have anxiety about, because it's so precise and clear and easy. Even if there's a dead heat, you can blow it up really big and see the individual hairs on the horses' chins.”
There is, however, a human element to the photo finish system. The computer program does not pick out the winner; instead, the placing judges are able to shift a vertical line across the image to determine which horse's nose is in front.
To the casual fan, that shift could appear to be the judges “moving” the finish line. Remember, though, since the photo finish image is actually a single point on the track over multiple moments in time, the judges' vertical line is truly measuring the difference between finishers at the finish line.
The line the judges use isn't a determination of the location of the finish; the composite photo is the exact point of the finish line. The line is used to distinguish the horses' noses, and thus the order of finish.
Once the photo finish image has loaded, Murray explained, she and the other placing judges (between one to three individuals, depending on the racetrack) go through the field to determine the precise order of finish. They do this at least three times to prevent errors, and key the results into the system.
In the case of tight finishes, or uncertain results, one or more stewards may be brought in to also examine the photograph.
“It is very precise, pretty black and white and easy unless you have a horse really buried in there,” Murray said. “Once we identify each horse, the computer will tell you the margins between the finishers; that's calibrated for a certain measurement.”
Most tracks also have a “backup” or “auxiliary” camera, which can be shifted from one position to another and serves as a secondary device if the primary fails.
In Thoroughbred racing, only the finish line is filmed by photo finish cameras. In harness racing, however, every point of call is filmed and charted accordingly.
Of course, issues with the photo finish system have still been known to occur.
“There have been cases with a rusted over or misaligned mirror, and there was an incident at Saratoga a couple years ago with the lighting,” explained Pat Cummings, executive director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, and a former executive with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and racing technology and data provider Trakus. “I think there's a tremendous lack of published photos, and of transparency around these things.
“It's difficult to say what's going on, because there's no transparency. We should be taking every step possible to ensure the confidence of our customers. That would include publishing every photo, putting it out there for the public to see.”
One photo finish tech, who spoke with the Paulick Report anonymously, identified the width of the lines used by the judges as another issue. On his screen, a yellow line is placed on the horses' noses to determine the placings. When the image is transferred to the television operators, that same yellow line is in place. When it is later published online, however, a slightly narrower silver line appears in its place.
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The width of that line could mean the difference between a dead heat and distinguishing the placings, especially with the modern digital capability of the zoom function. The tech suggested that fixing these issues would be fairly simple: a standard level of zoom should be applied when examining photos, as well as a standard-width line.
“I witnessed it in Hong Kong; there were several times where the media asked us, can you really give us an extra look, print the still images from the judge,” explained Cummings. “We would then provide that image to the media so they could inspect it before the final product is put on the website.
“I think that if the degree of technology that we're using in America was up to the international standards, you would see a lot more of it.”
Cummings suggested looking to the examples set by other racing jurisdictions as a way to improve the technology in use on the track.
“With what has been an essential monopoly of online wagering in the modern era, the horse racing industry has contracted,” he said. “Over the last two decades, adjusted for inflation, American wagering is down 50 percent.
“In the last 10-15 years, modern consumers of sport, ergo wagering, have become more and more attuned to oversight. Replay has gotten better, delivery of imagery has gotten better; many professional sports leagues are finding ways to up their game. Whether it's improving rules, improving replay access, keeping tabs on the officiating, more involvement of legal offices and transparency on tough calls/mistakes, all those things are kind of part and parcel of the modern infrastructure required to compete with these other sporting events.”
Monday's Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie recorded sizable increases in gross sales, average and median with a Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling topping the auction at $175,000.
A total of 228 yearlings went through the ring with 176 selling for $3,219,600, a 138.9% percent increase from last year when 106 of 137 sold for $1,347,700. The yearling average this year came in at $18,293, a jump of 43.9% from last year's $12,714. The median soared to $10,000 this year, up 96.1% percent from $5,100. The buy-back rate was 22.8% this year compared to 22.6% last year.
There were also three horses of racing age in the sale this year, which sold for a total of $17,500.
“The numbers are almost overwhelming compared to last year, and this sale exceeded even our very high expectations,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “The recent gains in purses and breeding incentives in Texas, along with the strong programs in place in Louisiana and Oklahoma, have helped make this a very powerful regional marketplace. This is truly one of the best sales we've ever had in Texas.”
The sale-topping Hip 101, an accredited Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling, was consigned by Benchmark Training Center, agent, and purchased by Finisterre Racing. The Apr. 3 foal is out of Swifterthantaylor (My Golden Song).
The Texas Thoroughbred Association is pleased to introduce a revamped Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity and the new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks, with purses totaling more than $500,000.
The races are restricted to horses that go through the ring at the upcoming Texas Summer Yearling Sale on Aug. 30 or the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale this coming spring. Horses need not be Texas-breds to be eligible, and the new format eliminates the previous payment schedule.
“In the last two years, Texas Thoroughbred racing has shown a resurgence due to the increased purse money at Lone Star Park and Sam Houston Race Park,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “To continue to build on that progress, the TTA has revamped the Futurity and created a Derby and Oaks with significantly increased purses for all those races. We look forward to our yearling sale on Aug. 30. Our goal is to create greater value for breeders, consignors and buyers.”
The revamped Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity will feature divisions for 2-year-old fillies and colts/geldings with $150,000 guaranteed for each division. Both divisions will be run at 5 1/2 furlongs on closing weekend of the 2022 Lone Star Park Thoroughbred meet. The races previously offered purses of approximately $100,000 apiece.
The new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks will be held at Sam Houston Race Park in 2023. The Derby and Oaks will be run on the dirt at a distance of one mile or more. Both races will carry purses of $100,000-added.
