distances

[Tony Taylor]

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Welcom Ian

Totaly agree with everything you posted.

Out of interest would you prefer to race at 1/2yard/pound and risk losing but proving more if you win or race yard/pound and having the advantage and a greater chance of winning but perhaps proving less about your dogs ability? -assuming you were racing a lightweight and on the straights at say 150yards

I assume Ian was talking about 1/2 yard/pound on the straights and not bends.

 

[NEILPEM]

make em all run off sratch ,yard a lb on bends,and 2ft a lb on straights,thats only my thoughts as to how they should run,then all dogs big or small have a chance,and better races will be seen.

 

[John]

I have been to many a straight open over the years with various distances and handicaps.  It dosent matter what handicap system you use it will almost always favour some weight group with the exception of one a time handicap.  But as we all know time handicaps are few and far between as people with good dogs (for the want of a better expression) will not run in them.  And also it could be said that we spend enough time at the track without timing dogs in.  So we will probibaly continue as normal with people entering their dogs to try and win supreme with others having to settle for a weight class win regardless of the distance or handicap.

 

[i_heaney]

In reply to Tony, I've always taken the view that the sport is all about testing the dogs and yourself. We like winning naturally, but to we've always got the biggest buzz by winning in the most difficult circumstances because it reflects best on dog. So I preferred to be racing head-to-head with Branca or Demolition Blue in a heat than I did winning a weak open down South, because frankly it proved a lot more. We also made a point of racing Dancing Wind over 200y in the Freeman Remembered and at 2ft/lb in the Premier event. She also ran at 1/2 per lb at Devon.

Overall on the straights I'd actually prefer to see the distance of the races extended rather than the handicap changed. I think 150y is too short and 175y or even 200y at yd/lb would be much fairer and place more emphasis on speed and less on trapping ability. To my mind the traps are a necessary evil, the sport is all about which dog is fastest, not which one gets least excited in the traps.

We actually did some tests with our dogs to see how quickly a 24-pounder closed on an 18-pounder once they hit full pace and found that the bigger dog was covering every yard in 0.05s, with the 18-pounder doing it in 0.053. These times were recorded using super slow motion settings on a calibrated video and are very accurate. They suggest that a 24-pounder makes up 1y in every 17 yards on an 18-pounder when they are at full speed. You have to remember that it takes about 20 yards to reach full speed of course. The two dogs by the way were of about equivalent ability, the 24-pounder was about 2 yards better over 150y at yd/lb.

 

[Paws123]

well my veiws are that if you have a dog good enough they will win on both bends and straights dispite the yardage i have seen a number of 26lb and over win 150yard 1lb opens then the same dog will run on the bends and win the sup ie fluke,rag nymph,rosies doulble,exstasy,heatherbelle, cheeky madam which also won the top ten and to many more to mention

also i have seen light weights winning over longer distances and winning one bitch to mention that rates very highly to me is Sasperalla i saw her win over 175yards at hordon on a sat-day then win easington bend open on the sunday so like i said if you have a dog good enough they will win when ever

 

[Tony Taylor]

Denise,

Heavyweights don`t, as a rule win on the straights.You will always find the odd example at smaller opens where a very good heavyweight wins overall but the fact is they don`t win supreme at major events at 150 yards yard/pound.

None of the dogs you mention has (to the best of my knowledge - but I`m happy to be proved wrong) won a major supreme title on the straights at 150 yards or thereabouts. No bitch over 26lb has ever won bwra supreme since 1968 - only one heavyweight dog has won supreme dog.The average weight of BWRA bitch supreme`s is under 22lb, - the average weight in the last seven years is under 20lb. Only one bitch supreme in the last seven years was over 20lb.When there is top class whippets present at all weightss then lightweights will win at distances of 150yards yard/pound.

 

[Paws123]

i wasnt talking about championships i was on about opens did u not see the results of peterlee open on sunday....fluke took sup  over 140 yards that was my argument

i remember a couple of years ago a bitch winning sup champ of champ at 24lb over 150 yard this bitch was home alone

the dogs i stated were just an example of good heavy weight that can run over diffrent distances and win

but i do aggree with u that lightweights nearly always win straight opens that why i have a couple myself

 

[Tony Taylor]

Denise

I wasn`t talking about champs only - any major evemt. The Peterlee open wasn`t a major open and Fluke is a truely top class middleweight and dosn`t need me to sing it`s laurels.

Home Alone is the only bitch over 20lb to win supreme bitch at BWRA champs in the last seven years, all the rest were under 20lb - Home Alone is not a heavyweight.

The BWRA champs format actually improves the chances of heavyweight or middleweight`s winning as they have  lightweight, middleweight and heavweight runoffs, so that the final is a three dog race, after a minimum of four previous runs - which means tiredness or injury influences the supreme result - it`s not true all in racing.

 

[Paws123]

come on tony get your head together as in championship run off the dogs have all had he same amount of runs over the day if a dog goes lame or is tired only means that the owners havent had there dogs at the max of there fittness.... i won fed sup champ of champs vet in may my dog has suffered for 2 years with her hips i could of beat her myself after her first run but the compertion i was running against just wasnt as fit as her...i jog my dogs every morning u need to get the dogs over there pain barrier if you dont then it isnt lameness that they have it is soreness this i think is where alot of owners go wrong

and as far as proving you wrong about only 20lbs or less winning sup at champs and straight opens are you for getting about sup rch/nch champion fly free

i do agree that the majority of straight opens are won by light weights but to be far there is not a lot of light weights that are any good it take a lot of time and effort to get them running good enough to win sup

 

[Paws123]

i was also going to say that there was o dog came to mine that won sup ch chs twice beat all little one and middle weights SUP CH CHS MO EVIL

 

[Paws123]

okay it all getting a little silly now i know what u mean tony.

what about leaving the format the way it is for championship days but have three ch chs run offs say ch chs light weight, ch chs middle weight and ch chs heavy weight..... i mean they have brought in sup scr ch chs so why not run it that way some thing for u all to think about

 

[JoJess]

Yes i agee Denise, there should be three supremes on the day, lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight, i remember running fancy free and gaining a title but losing supreme to JOLSON who was 26lb at the time, but yes i think 150yards are  for whippets around the weight of upto 22lb, but after saying that there are some good middleweights that can catch and beat the little uns, Fluke in paticular plus many more. Cheeky Madam also has been known to catch up with the little uns.........

 

[Paws123]

well thanks pat there another 26 lb that caught a little one for sup

well i do agree there is no great victory in running heavy dogs i have had a few myself

smurfette was a great bitch i remember going to stockton with her for a xmas open and she timed in with a fantastic time ...the venue that day was 25yard dash 100yard and a 175yard... which she won all 3 events giving yards away to good dogs.. she even had to set the dogs 1yard in the 25 yard dash well work that one out cause i am still not sure how that worked.

so come on all you whippet races get your heads together and come up with some thing for the heavier dogs thats around ....i hope they do as my puppy rio is looking very big at the moment

 

[Paws123]

this topic has a lot of interesting coments havnt got a lot to say about it well done paul and chris with 18 pounder drama qeen winner of fed 200 not bad for a little un over 200 yards       keep up the good work shes got a lot to come    

  gaz      

 

[tanyia]

I agree Gary, Drama Queen did very well to win over 200 yards.        Just goes to show ya. If thay have got it. THAY CAN DO IT.      

 

[michelle]

Re Drama Queen

That`s my point - if they have got it they can do it !

Tony

 

[JoJess]

TRUE, if they have it they can do it  but what about all  the other small dogs ( five in a race u know) who go to race thinking they have a chance of winning a heat or a class, which they may at yard a pound. Not every one has open class winners, so spare a thought  to all not to just a few. WELL DONE DRAMA QUEEN keep it up    

 

[Paws123]

now lets prove the other point     well done steve and harry for winning sup at stockton against top class dogs today over 150 yards not bad for a 26lb  

gaz

 

[Paws123]

theres two examples of dogs winning at diffrent weights and over diffrent distences so why all moan on about swapping the formats

 

[JoJess]

Well done Fluke and young Harry, not all moaning Denise just some , i think the format is ok as it is personally, we go to race where we want and at the distances we want to run at, keep it up i say..............