An equipment malfunction during Aqueduct's sixth race on Dec. 2 left stewards to determine the order of finish by video. The starter allowance race was won by Electric Youth at odds of 10-1 over Chloe Rose, but after a delay, third place was determined to be a dead heat between Thegoddessofsnakes and Rosey's Peach. No photo of the third place finish was shown after the official placings, and evidently one does not exist.
“NYRA is reviewing the circumstances that prevented the creation of a photo finish image of today's 6th race at Aqueduct Racetrack,” said Pat McKenna, senior director of communications for the New York Racing Association, in a statement. “In the absence of that image, the placing judges reviewed the finish by utilizing the enhanced video replay system available to the stewards. Under the rules of racing in New York State, the placing judges have sole discretion in determining the order of finish, which was 5-2-1,8 (DH).”
According to the race's chart, finish margins were collected manually by the chartcaller “due to an issue by Teletimer with the photo.”
Elsewhere on the race card, times were unavailable for the eighth race due to an unspecified timing issue noted in the chart. The quarter-mile time for the ninth race was also unavailable due to a timing issue.
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.”
Before the advent of the photo finish camera, close finishes like the one in the ironically-named 'Beaten By a Length' Handicap at Sandown Saturday would have been called by three judges standing by the finish line, a practice understandably fraught with opportunities for the human eye to get it wrong. In the late 1930s, reliable photos finish technology became part of a racetrack's set-up, the solution to the proverbial question of just who got a bare whisker or flared nostril in front. Nevertheless, however, the human element of the photo finish still remains a potential point of controversy, according to The Racing Post.
At Sandown Park in Surrey, U.K., Hurricane Ivor and Phoenix Star dueled through the final yards of the five-furlong handicap, flashing by that photo finish camera at the wire in what appears to be perfect synchronicity. The replay shows the two horses so close that a winner is difficult to discern. From the resulting photo, Sandown judge Jane Green declared Phoenix Star, the horse on the outside, the winner over Hurricane Ivor on the rail. The mirror image of the same photo showed a different result. Upon examination of both photos, the Sandown stewards nullified Green's ruling and declared the race a dead heat.
How is it possible that the photo finish camera could have captured what appears to be two different images in literally the same instant? The answer lies in the mirror.
“The issue is the mirror image, which is out of alignment. That's something that happens very rarely. You can see from the picture that the third and fourth don't line up on the line on the mirror image, either” Shawn Parker, head of the British Horseracing Authority's stewards, told the Racing Post. “We had to discard the mirror image and we couldn't separate the two horses on the normal image, the actual photo, so it's a dead-heat. We now need to hold an inquiry to determine why it happened.”
While RaceTech, the company responsible for photo finishes, attests to the proper alignment of the mirror and camera after an earlier inspection, it is possible that the mirror may have been knocked out of alignment afterwards. Bookmakers and bettors were frustrated with the miscalled photo finish, citing other issues with photo finishes at Sandown and other courses.
Coastal Kid and jockey Alex Cruz appeared to be on their way to a certain victory over 3-10 favorite Dutton in Thursday night's $75,000 Gottstein Futurity at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash., when the 2-year-old son of Coast Guard suddenly bolted to the outside in midstretch.
Jeff Metz, trainer of Coastal Kid, the 9-2 second choice in the wagering, said his jockey speculated that the photo finish lights above the finish line might have spooked the horse, who was making only his second career start.
“Alex (Cruz) said when the lights came on, the horse ducked out,” said Metz. It's unfortunate to lose a race that way.”
There are now a million and one ways to lose a horse race.
The Gottstein Futurity was anything but routine, even before the start, which was delayed more than 10 minutes after Great Gasby got loose at the gate and was subsequently scratched.
Dutton, who came into the Gottstein Futurity unbeaten in two stars by a combined margin of 23 lengths, sped off to quick lead at the start in his first try around two turns. Under jockey Jennifer Whitaker, Dutton went lickity-split: the opening quarter mile in :22.48, the half in :45.49 and six furlongs in 1:09.43.
“My horse is a little high strung and the wait didn't help,” trainer Howard Belvoir said of Dutton, who was wringing wet with sweat when the race began
Nearing the top of the stretch, it looked as though Dutton may have run out of gas.
“Jen said he was tired at the quarter pole, but he dug in,” Belvoir said of the Noosito gelding.
Dutton did fight back against Coastal Kid when the latter loomed to his outside. When Coastal Kid took a right-hand turn, causing Cruz to lose his irons, Dutton went on to the victory in 1:43.15 for 1 1/16 miles after a mile fraction in 1:36.15. Easy Silence finished second, with Coastal Kid hanging on for third, with Cruz riding bareback style.
“It's too bad for the horse that ducked out, that's a tough situation, but I'm very proud of Dutton,” said Belvoir.
Dutton and Jennifer Whitaker winning the Gottstein Futurity
