Inside track: Stick is going in the right direction

Apr 25 2008 by James Armstrong, The Journal

THE Turftrax Going Stick, a prototype measuring device that scientifically records a combination of penetration and shear, and also logs data electronically for analysis, may see the days of the trusted walking stick as a devise to measure ‘going’ as a thing of the past.

A trial involving 31 racecourses has been ongoing for over a year and data from 3,233 going reports is now being studied. The new stick gives an average numerical result to readings taken from different areas of the racecourse.

The new stick’s metal probe (4in long) is put into the ground to measure penetration and then the stick is pulled back at a 45 degree angle to simulate the shear of a horses hoof.

Three readings are taken at each point (up to 80 points on the National Hunt course and 60 on the flat) to obtain a mean numerical reading. The data does appear to give a strong correlation between the reported official going (given by the clerk) and the average going on the new stick.

In simple terms, when the average reading gets lower, the official going description gets softer and, as the average number of the rises, the official description gets firmer (14 being quickest to one being easiest).

All courses are different because of soils and relief and other characteristics. ‘Good’ ground at Newcastle might be numerically different – for example 7.8 – to another course which has an official going of ‘good’ and measure 8.5.

If two individuals were to walk a course separately using the old wooden stick and disagree on the description of the ground, there is no means of being able to work out why the two individuals disagree.

However, the new Turftrax Going Stick can assist and back up an individual clerks assessment with actual data.

Among the alternative devices used to analyse the going, the Turftrax Going Stick is currently the most advanced, if time consuming for data collection.

It has been met with general approval by trainers but more education is required for it to be totally understood.

It is not quite the finished article but definitely a step in the right direction.

JAMES Armstrong is clerk of the course at Newcastle racecourse.