The BRIS Race Shapes measure the leader's pace relative to the average leader time for the race's final time, with higher values indicating a faster pace. These shapes can be used for handicapping by identifying horses advantaged or disadvantaged by the race pace. Horses with a late running style benefit from a fast pace, while those with an early running style prefer a slower pace. Two BRIS Race Shape values correspond to the first and second calls of a race, helping to identify the fastest and slowest segments. The scale is consistent with BRIS Pace Ratings, using two points per length.
WHAT ARE THE BRIS RACE SHAPES?
The BRIS Race Shapes measure how fast the leader ran relative to the average leader time for the race's final time. The faster the leader's pace, the higher the BRIS Race Shape (eg. +7). The slower the leader's pace, the lower the BRIS Race Shape (eg. -7).
HOW SHOULD THE BRIS RACE SHAPES BE USED AS A HANDICAPPING TOOL?
There are a variety of ways to benefit from using the BRIS Race Shapes. A primary use of the BRIS Race Shapes is to quickly identify horses which were advantaged/disadvantaged by unusually fast or slow paced races. Generally speaking, horses with a late running style want a fast pace upfront to be most effective. And, conversely, horses with an early running style want a softer pace to be most effective. So, whenever a pace is unusually fast or slow, evaluate whether the horse was advantaged or disadvantaged by the pace. Anticipate possible improvement from horses which were disadvantaged by the pace of their recent races, and view skeptically the performances of horses which were advantaged by the pace of their recent races.
WHY ARE THERE TWO BRIS RACE SHAPE VALUES?
The BRIS Race Shapes correspond to the first and second calls of a race. The first BRIS Race Shape value corresponds to the first call (2f call for most sprints; and 4f call for most routes). The second BRIS Race Shape value corresponds to the second call (4f call for most sprints; and 6f call for most routes). This enables the user to quickly identify which segment(s) of the race were fastest and slowest (relative to each call's average pace for the final time).
ARE THE BRIS RACE SHAPES ON THE SAME SCALE AS THE BRIS PACE RATINGS?
Yes, like the BRIS Pace Ratings, the BRIS Race Shapes use a fixed scale of two (2) points-per-length. For example, a "+6" Race Shape represents a pace which is three (3) lengths faster than normal.