Thoroughbred Racing Basics
A race begins when the pigeons are released from a distant point; this is the Starting Gate (release station). These releases are from a standard location and named for the nearest town. The birds race home. The distances from the release station to each individual pigeon loft are calculated by special surveyors. They compute the flying distances down to the 1000th of a mile. By the turn of the century special clocks were invented to time the birds arrival. Before the race a numbered rubber band called a counter mark is placed on each pigeons leg. The bird is officially home when this countermark is placed into the clock and the timing handle on the clock is turned. When the clock is struck (kicked) the exact time is recorded down to a 100th of a second. The counter mark enters a sealed chamber that cannot be tampered with. This makes it impossible to time a race bird before it actually arrives. It also means getting a bird home first does not necessarily mean it will win. A trainer has to make sure that the racer comes inside quickly so that the counter mark can be removed and placed in the clock. With thousands of competitors in a race, seconds may make the difference between 1st place and 50th.
The equation is simple mathematics. Distance divided by time equals speed. With an exact flight distance and flying time, the bird’s average speed can be very precisely calculated. Because the competition is so keen, this speed is figured down to the yards flown per minute. The winner, as in any race, is the bird with the fastest homing speed. Today, quartz clocks and computer systems make the complex calculations. In much of the world the new generation of clocks are connected directly to a main computer. As each trainer’s arrival time is entered, the standing for the races change until all the information is in.