The official time of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) has been lowered to 1:46.83, giving winner Arrogate the 1 1/8-mile dirt track record at Gulfstream Park.
The initially reported final time of 1:47.61 attracted scrutiny after the inaugural running of the world's richest race Jan. 28. Clocker Bruno DeJulio said after watching Juddmonte Farm's son of Unbridled's Song beat a field of five other grade/group 1 winners by 4 3/4 lengths, the final time seemed slow.
DeJulio clocked the race off of replays and got times between 1:46.87 and 1:46.90. He took his concerns to Craig Milkowski, who oversees TimeFormUS speed figures. Milkowski then conducted his own review of the race and landed on the time of 1:46.87, which matches one of DeJulio's three times and is close to the others. After additional review, Milkowski landed on 1:46.53 as the final time for the Pegasus.
Daily Racing Form also adjusted the Beyer Speed Figure for the race to 116 from 119.
All of this led to Trakus reviewing the official time, landing on 1:46.83. The track record lowers the mark set by Lea , 1:46.86, in the 2014 Donn Handicap (G1).
The official timer for Gulfstream Park is Trakus, which said that during the Pegasus World Cup a minor anomaly in the underlying tracking data was experienced for Arrogate in the measurement cycle reporting as the horse approached the finish line. In a release, Trakus said, "On major race days, extreme environmental conditions are not unusual, and may impact reliable tracking performance."
Trakus spokesman Michael Ciacciarelli said "environmental conditions" refers to the number of vendors and broadcasters in attendance that bring in their own wireless systems. Ciacciarelli said before a big race card extensive efforts are made to make sure that those wireless systems don't interfere with Trakus, but sometimes the message isn't followed and interference occurs.
Trakus said such conditions existed during the record-setting Pegasus World Cup, which resulted in the live race final time being measured with an error of a fraction of a second (initially reported as 1:47.61). Although the chart was initially delayed and reviewed by Trakus' standard quality assurance protocols, the results were subsequently posted for all runners containing the incorrect winning finish time. A frame-by-frame video replay analysis showed the correct winning time to be 1:46.83.
Upon subsequent detailed review of the race performance data, Trakus determined Arrogate finished the race in 1:46.83. Updated charts are available on Gulfstream Park's website and through Equibase.
Gulfstream employs Trakus for its tracking and timing services. The Trakus System works by using a small radio transceiver outfitted on each horse, and a network of antennas and computing equipment located around the racecourse. In reviewing the race, Trakus recently completed a comprehensive review, working with Gulfstream Park management and industry partner Equibase.
"Trakus regrets the incorrect reporting of the finish time and apologizes for any inconvenience caused to our partner, Gulfstream Park, their fans and horsemen, and all industry stakeholders," Trakus said. "The company is continuously investing in its technology development efforts, training procedures, and racing operations support staff in order to provide the most accurate and reliable information possible to its racetrack partners and racing fans."
