Did you know?

While waiting for results yesterday, I was messing around with some of my sheets. Making a new one actually. Before the big computer crash of '07, I used to have top-20 times lists for every distance/surface that I would keep updated each week. Well, those are long gone. There is a silver lining though, as I decided to put a sheet together to keep track of EVERY time ever run at each distance/surface.

The first lists I did were for 7 furlongs. Why 7 furlongs? Truthfully? I wanted to start with one where I would see some horses that are very near and dear to me doing well. (Hey, it's been a rough last few weeks on the track for the home stable!) After completing the lists, I figured I could pull some interesting "Did you know's?" out of it. So, here we go!

• 7 furlongs on the dirt has been tried 1,708 times over PF's history. While on turf, it's only been tried 1,193 times.
• Everyone is probably aware of the World Record's at this distance (Mr. Purler - 1:20.38 for the dirt and Miss Bust - 1:20.98 for the turf). But, how about the opposite end of the spectrum? Back in 2004, a 2YO colt by the name of Hawkwind finished the Hollywood Preview Stakes in 1:38.98, 90 lengths behind the winner (Lava Drop, my star!) for a PSR of -144 (Ouch!). On the turf side a year later, 3YO colt Sneaky Runner ran the Stan Fox Stakes in 1:38.18 (-115 PSR), 86 lengths behind the winner (Power To Port).
• Many horses have turned in top-100 times on multiple occasions. When you appear at least three times though, the company starts to get a bit more exclusive. The following are all in the top-100 for dirt three times: Ab-Daledigaeth, Bold N' Free, Bull's Legacy, Handsome Man, Hell Hath No Fury, Lava Drop (Yay!), Mr Purler, Safely Sunday, and Upbeat. There are three horses that find themselves in the top-100 four times: Blitzkrieg (Yay again!), Mars, and Nova. But, the king...errr...queen of them all is Victory Dance, as she's there five times. Those 13 horses account for an impressive 44% of the top-100 times!
• On the turf side of things, there's more diversity. Two horses appear four times each, and four horses are on the list three times. The co-queens are: Attack At Dawn and Blushing Allanna. Those with three appearances: Dansilver, Miss Bust, Moet, and Sovereign Sword.
• What of the horses that appear in both top-100's though? There are 12 of them. The list is headed by Victory Dance with 6 top-100's (5 dirt and 1 turf). Two horses appear 5 times: Bold N' Free (3 dirt and 2 turf) and Upbeat (3 dirt and 2 turf). Four top-100's from: Big Easy (2 dirt and 2 turf), Dansilver (1 dirt and 3 turf), and Mr Purler (3 dirt and 1 turf). Just two horses appear three times: Fly So High (2 dirt and 1 turf) and Jethro (2 dirt and 1 turf). And we round it out with the four horses that have done it once on each surface: Doomsday, Lil Belle, Our Differences, and Yes Zippy Can.
• The highest PSR's attained come from the same horse...Dansilver. On dirt, in the 2005 Vosburgh Stakes, he posted a 121.44 (14th best). On turf, in the 2004 Futurity Stakes, it was a 126.8 (32nd best).
• Where's the most likely track to see a top-100 time turned in? On the dirt side, Santa Anita just edges out Aqueduct 24-23. Turf, it's not even a contest. Caulfield has produced 39 of the top-100, easily outdistancing Eagle Farm which has 14.
• The most likely race? For dirt, the Santa Monica Handicap and Pat O' Brien Handicap are tied with 10 each. The Vic Heath Cup is the place to be on turf with 16 of the top-100.
• How about the best times for each surface rating? On the dirt side, "fast" is obviously occupied by the current WR - Mr Purler in 1:20.38. The best on "good" is View Of Paradise at 1:22.05 (202nd best overall). The best for "heavy" is 1:22.98 by Nothing Changes (545th best). The best for "muddy" is 1:22.34 by Seeing Things (287th best). The best for "sloppy" is 1:24.03 by Lava Drop (939th best). The best for "slow" is 1:23.03 by Landmine (554th best).
• For turf, the record by Miss Bust of 1:20.98, was set on "firm". The best for "firm to good" is 1:21.35 by Attack At Dawn (5th best overall). The best for "good" is 1:21.90 by On The Prowl (28th best). The best on "hard" is 1:21.55 by Martika (8th best). The best for "soft" is 1:22.29 by Sovereign Sword (66th best). The best for "yielding" is 1:22.82 by Smart Money (161st best).
• The oldest horse to make the top-100? Victory Dance as a 6YO (21st best).
• The highest weight carried to a top-100 time? On dirt, 128 lbs. by Big Easy (27th best), Bold N' Free (34th best), Dansilver (14th best), and Our Differences (71st best). On turf, 129 lbs. by Big Easy (52nd best), Court's Guru (97th best), and Thief of Hearts (79th best).
• The lowest weight carried to a top-100 time? On dirt, 102 lbs. by Tunnel Vision (2nd best). On turf, 107 lbs. by Knight Hawk (91st best).
• The highest post position to turn in a top-100 time? Bull's Legacy broke from the 18 hole on dirt (9th best). On turf, it was Tora Tora Tora from the 13th slot (51st best).
• On dirt, none of the top-100 times are from an ungraded race. But on turf, there are 12 of them...including four from Shenandoah Downs.
• The breakdown per grade level on dirt is: G1 - 29, G2 - 54, and G3 - 17. On turf: G1 - 50, G2 - 23, G3 - 15, and ungraded - 12.
• The top-100 breakdown per year for dirt is: 2003 - 1, 2004 - 7, 2005 - 8, 2006 - 9, 2007 - 16, 2008 - 28, and 2009 - 31. For turf: 2004 - 7, 2005 - 13, 2006 - 10, 2007 - 16, 2008 - 34, and 2009 - 20.
• To wrap things up, we'll see where the best times this week at 7 furlongs fall in the grand scheme of things. On dirt, 3YO colt Mirror Image ran a 1:22.11, which checks in at a tie for the 216th spot. On turf, 3YO colt Kid Flash ran a 1:22.32, which was good for a tie for 71st place.