Mohawk Or Woodbine?

[sea biscuit]

I had some of my friends over at my house and a debate erupted on which of the two tracks they like to bet. The majority said they preferred Mohawk over Woodbine.

In a recent article on the standardbred site about Woodbine winning the bid to hold the 2012 Breeders Crown races at Woodbine, I was surprised to see that the majority of the comments were of the view that they would liked to see the Breeders Crown races at Mohawk instead of Woodbine.

The major difference between the two tracks is in the configuration of the track itself and the stretch lengths of each track. Woodbine is oblong and Mohawk is shaped more like a big egg. There is a big difference in stretch lengths between the two tracks. Mohawk has over 119 extra feet over Woodbine. Most people think that at Mohawk closers have a much better chance than at Woodbine because of the extra stretch length. Stats, however, don't support that notion. The two tracks are both speed favoring as the majority of the races are won by horses on the front end. Here are some stats for you.

Woodbine: Length of Stretch .........................976 feet
Mohawk: Length of Stretch (last turn to wire)....1,095 feet
 
Early Speed

Mohawk 1,2,3 at

[pezz97]

Let me state that first off I really don;t do well at either place. Saying that, I seem to do a little better at Mohawk than I do Woodbine, So I prefer to play there

[careless hal]

I don't make my selections based on the track.  I know the Woodbine stretch is shorter, but as we see, not a big closer bias at Mohawk.I have been to Woodbine a few times, but have never been to Mohawk.  I will make it out there someday. 

[NIATROSS]

I don't really enjoy 7/8 tracks to watch or wager.Woodbine must be brutal to watch live on track.
All that being said I do enjoy wagering on Mohawk more than Woodbine.I do wish I had a better understanding of all the other ttracks these guys ship in from.

[Jeremy]

woodbine, when I actually print out the form and bet.

[LVGaryD]

Personally I wish all tracks were 5/8 mile and no passing lane! Easiest on the horses, and the drivers actually have to think instead of rolling every inch of the mile as far and fast as they can go.

 

[CyberChamp]

I think that the speed bias might be due to the inability of some drivers to rate their horses in the outer flow, which often creates too much ground to make up for those stuck behind the dull cover.  When the big time drivers like Sears, Pierce, DMiller, etc. make their way north of the border, I like the value they bring on non-favorites in "undercard" races (i.e., non-stake races)...and they display incredible patience in the stretch before going to the whip, something the "B-grade" drivers don't do very well.

I probably do more "positional" capping at Moh/Wdb than I normally would on a large track because of the driver colony and poor cover.  I prefer tracks like M1 because positional capping is less important and I completely dislike half milers because I spend too much time guessing position rather than identifying the best horse.

One angle that I've used at Woodbine lately is to look at which horses made agressive moves at the start from outside posts in their previous race, even if they didn't win.  This may be an indicator that the driver thought he had a "live one" and are often good to come back to at a price, especially if they get an inside post the next time around.

[sea biscuit]

I think that the speed bias might be due to the inability of some drivers to rate their horses in the outer flow, which often creates too much ground to make up for those stuck behind the dull cover.  When the big time drivers like Sears, Pierce, DMiller, etc. make their way north of the border, I like the value they bring on non-favorites in "undercard" races (i.e., non-stake races)...and they display incredible patience in the stretch before going to the whip, something the "B-grade" drivers don't do very well.

Whipping is not allowed at WEG unless you are good at hitting a horse with your two hands holding each rein.

The moment you transfer the reins to one hand and whip the horse with the free hand, your horse is placed dead last even if you win the race.

[NIATROSS]

When people finally catch onto the secret code used to make the morning lines at both tracks they will enjoy both tracks more.

When you see a horse at 7-1 ML  you must look closer at these and find out why he will probably be chalk and win.

[CyberChamp]

When people finally catch onto the secret code used to make the morning lines at both tracks they will enjoy both tracks more.

When you see a horse at 7-1 ML  you must look closer at these and find out why he will probably be chalk and win.

So true!   

Whipping is not allowed at WEG unless you are good at hitting a horse with your two hands holding each rein.

The moment you transfer the reins to one hand and whip the horse with the free hand, your horse is placed dead last even if you win the race.

Never been a fan of that rule.  As Ron Pierce once said, horses aren't dumb...they may not give you 100% if you don't keep them interested...and that reflects poorly on the driver and the sport.   

[sea biscuit]

Never been a fan of that rule.  As Ron Pierce once said, horses aren't dumb...they may not give you 100% if you don't keep them interested...and that reflects poorly on the driver and the sport.   

If I recall correctly he also said that unlike ours the hide of a horse is 1/4 inch thick and it does not hurt them all that much.