Turf Club announce changes to judges distances

The Turf Club today announced changes to the distances which will be used by the Judge when calling the result.

The changes are set out in Regulation 15 and in future the following distances will be used.  The new distances which will be introduced are underlined:

 Only the following distances between horses at a winning post will be given over the public address system or entered on the Judge’s return:
 dead heat, nose, short head, head, neck, ½ length, ¾ length, 1 length, 1¼ lengths, 1½ lengths, 1¾,lengths, 2 lengths, 2¼ lengths, 2½ lengths, 2¾ lengths, 3 lengths, 3¼ lengths, 3½ lengths, 3¾ lengths, 4 lengths, 4¼ lengths, 4½ lengths, 4¾ lengths, 5 lengths, 5½ lengths, 6 lengths, 6½ lengths 7 lengths, 7½ lengths, 8 lengths, 8½ lengths, 9 lengths, 9½ lengths, 10 lengths. Thereafter in increments of a length up to and including 99 lengths. Anything over 99 lengths will be designated as “99+ lengths”.
 
 For the purpose of this Regulation distances of less than and including a length shall be measured as follows:

nose – from tip of nose to back of nostril
short head – from back of nostril to front point of eye
head – from front point of eye to back of jaw bone
neck – from back of jaw bone to point of shoulder
half a length – from point of shoulder to hip bone
three quarters of a length – from hip bone to point of buttocks
length – whole horse from tip of nose to base of tail.

Commenting on the changes, Turf Club Chief Executive, Denis Egan said “that the main changes were the introduction of a winning distance of a nose and the extension of distances from the current maximum distance of 30 lengths in increments of one length up to 99 lengths.  Anything over 99 lengths will be designated as 99 lengths+.  Previously anything over 30 lengths was designated as a distance.”