I read the first bit about 435m, Bruce and you already sound like a goose. So your telling me a dog is reaching top speed at 435m. Ok who has a topline 500m dog. Do me a favour and tell me your 330m and then 400m run home times at Richmond because your 400m one will be faster apparently as the dog is still accelerating to the 435m mark. Next you will tell me at the olympics the 400m runners hit a higher top speed than 100m sprinters as it takes them 300m to warm up. Wherever you got that silly idea from has me buggered and if you believe it you may just be smart enough for a job at Greyhounds Australasia! Steven,Broadly, I have only a couple of problem with your distance brackets. First, the average greyhound achieves its top speed at around 435m. Second, many 425m dogs cannot run out a good 450m. Bendigo to Ballarat is a good comparison there. Third, some 400m dogs are gasping at the end of a 425m race, possibly because they were not running out a strong 400m in the first place. Fourth, Some or most 300m/350m winners cannot run out 400m very well (but training may come into it there). Fifth, I would strongly contend your 441m/550m bracket. It should read 480m/550m. A great many good 450m dogs cannot get the 500m/525m trips. (In reverse, many good 520m winners have difficulty with the last 30m at Horsham or Bulli - due to the longer home straights). These are averages, of course, so there will be versatile dogs that have a greater reach. (Pretty Short is one example). But hark back to my overall 435m point. This also emphasises that once you get beyond 435m most dogs are slowing down, including in top events over 520m The winner is more often the one that slows down less than the others. "Finishing on" can be an optical illusion. It is also relevant to consider their jumping ability. A leader does not have to worry about interference but, on the other hand, it may be using up its petrol in the first half of the race and have less to use at the finish. Track shape also makes a big difference. Anyway, interference aside, Warrnambool 450m is a good test, as are many on the Cup circuit. So I would want to group them as Sub-400m, 400m/430m, 431m/460m and so on. I find those distinctly clear brackets. While I am here, let me correct Simon. I have never said the Warrnambool Classic as such is bad for "the industry", only that the heats are, and that they should find some other way of skinning the cat.
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