Drafting

Bar the Bull

Bar the Bull

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
9,534
Location
Llandubno, West Wales (very west)
There is a really stupid letter in the Racing Post complaining about horses being held up.

Apparently, being put 15l behind the leader is bad.

Anyway, it got me thinking about something.

If you are cycling at 25mph, you use 27% less energy by drafting behind another cyclist.

How much energy do you think a horse might save by travelling behind other horses?
 
Much less, I think. :confused:

In cycling, a turn of the pedals will bring you a greater or lesser distance according to the wind resistance you experience. If you can get shelter you need to do less turning of the pedals.

A horse, however, will need to take more or less the same number of strides to cover a given distance, whether it has shelter or not.
 
It would help into a headwind in that the horse in front would, er, break the wind. If there's a standard formula for X% energy saved @ X miles an hour, then I imagine that a horse travelling behind another with both going at 30 mph would follow a formula similar to that you've already set out, Bar, wouldn't it? I wouldn't think it would matter if you were running behind another person, bike, car, or horse if there's a standard formula for energy saving.

How does it work out, then? How is it worked out that the formula you've given is correct? (I'm only asking out of interest as to how such forumulae are arrived at, not contesting the veracity of your statement.)
 
James Willoughby often mentions his theory on RUK that the last minute market moves (steamers and drifters) are down to tactics. Horses that are going to be held up drift before the off and front runners or prominent runners shorten. It's certainly an interesting subject.

In a maiden hurdle around Fairyhouse what does Paul Carberry gain by sitting motionless out the back?



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Paul Carberry.

Hold up rides on horses with odds > 4/1; 40 winners from 799 runners (5%) - lay profit = 200.10

Led or prominant rides on horses with odds < 4/1; 132 winners from 346 runners (38%) - BF profit = 100.95
 
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