Logo-drf
Thumb_hersh Marcus Hersh , Arlington Park , 08/12/2018 - DRF Live Posted : Aug 12, 2018, 12:03 PM

Winning stakes Beyers from Arlington Million card

Robert Bruce (Million) - 104

Sistercharlie (Beverly D) - 102

Carrick (Secretariat) - 98

Secret Message (Pucker Up) - 88

Sir Anthony (Bruce D) - 81

Winning Envelope (special bonus Beyer - 2yof debut winner R) - 77

It's going to be hard for some people to square the Million and Secretariat figures.

Secretariat: 22.80 - 47.27 - 1:11.62 - 1:36.51 - 2:01.04
Arl Million:  23.66 - 48.28 - 1:12.96 - 1:37.96 - 2:02.29

So yes, on the face of things, it looks like the Secretariat should be the 104, the Million the 97. Without having talked to any of the fig makers it's fair to guess they are accounting for two things in assigning these numbers (a split variant doesn't seem like it can be a factor - the turf was upgraded from good to firm during the late part of the card, and I can find no evidence in the raw time progression through the day of a slowing surface): A - the considerably slower pace of the Million didn't permit a "true" figure, and B - the established form of the horses would make the unfiltered figures seem even less logical than those actually assigned. Secretariat winner Carrick, for instance, had started his career 81-86-83; Robert Bruce and Almanaar were coming off 100s in their most recent start. 

I get it, but still, this is a pretty extreme case, though Robert Bruce does deserve some real credit for closing from his position near the back after second half-mile that went in just less than 50 seconds. 

Stay Updated with DRF Morning Line

Free Race-of-the-Day video analysis & PPs,DRF Bets Gameplan Play-of-the-Day, all the latest racing news and more.

Download DRF Bets on your smartphone
© Daily Racing Form. All rights reserved.
Morning-line We need just a few pieces of information and you'll begin receiving our newsletter, right to your inbox!

Thank you for registering!

We're glad to have you on board. You'll begin receiving our newsletter upon the next scheduled delivery date. If you do not receive your first newsletter in the next 7 days, please contact our customer service team at cservice@drf.com.