Race Tracks Research Articles

Racetrack SAFER barrier on temporary concrete barriers

Previously, the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier system was successfully developed and crash tested for use in high-speed racetrack applications for the purpose of reducing the severity of racecar crashes into permanent, rigid, concrete containment walls. The SAFER barrier has been implemented at all high-speed oval race tracks that host events from NASCAR's top three race series and IRL's top series. However, there are a number of racetrack facilities in the United States that use temporary concrete barriers as a portion of the track layout during races. These barriers are typically used on race tracks to shield openings or protect portions of the infield. Some of these temporary barrier installations are in areas where current safety guidance would recommend treatment with the SAFER barrier. Thus, a system was successfully designed, tested, and evaluated for a system targeted towards the most pressing need in the US motorsports industry, a system for spanning openings between rigid concrete parapets on the inner walls of various race tracks.

The Technological Evolution of Machine Based Gambling in America

Machine Based Gambling has become a major source of revenue to many states across the country that need the money but face obstacles to raising taxes within their jurisdiction. The figures are startling with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s cut at over $1.456 Billion in 2011, which exceed the next closest state by $500 million. In addition, there are more than twice as many slot machines available to the public than ATMs. The benefits of machine based gaming has allowed many governments to revitalized tourism locations, make some Native Americans economically self-sufficient, and save horse and dog race tracks from closing as well as generating many good paying jobs. With such a large footprint in so many aspects of life, the decision to legalize machine based gaming provides policymakers with a good economic solution on many levels in spite of moral objections.While many people look at today’s slot machines and see the spinning reels as a mechanism for determining an outcome, the devices now offer the latest in technology that may select the result based on a random number generator, a players luck with the lottery, the results from Bingo, or assist in a Pull-tab game, depending on the jurisdiction. As such, this article examines the mixture of laws and regulations that reflect the historical debate surrounding gaming between legalization and prohibition across the country and those policies that permitted Native American tribes to offer such facilities. It traces the history of machine based games from both a historical and legal perspective as manufacturers and policymakers continue an age old cat and mouse game to offer and invent devices with the aid of technology that delivers an activity and entertainment experience that fits within the permissible regulations or codes of a given jurisdiction while maintaining the physical appearance of a slot machine. In taking these actions, the approval by regulators and the courts may offer compliance but may pose a conflict as to whether the lack of transparency in how the device operates creates a legally redressable claim.

Investigation and optimization of the magnetic field configuration in high-power impulse magnetron sputtering

An effort to optimize the magnetic field configuration specifically for high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) was made. Magnetic field configurations with different field strengths, race track widths and race track patterns were designed using COMSOL. Their influence on HiPIMS plasma properties was investigated using a 36 cm diameter copper target. The I–V discharge characteristics were measured. The temporal evolution of electron temperature (Te) and density (ne) was studied employing a triple Langmuir probe, which was also scanned in the whole discharge region to characterize the plasma distribution and transport. Based on the studies, a closed path for electrons to drift along was still essential in HiPIMS in order to efficiently confine electrons and achieve a high pulse current. Very dense plasmas (1019–1020 m−3) were generated in front of the race tracks during the pulse, and expanded downstream afterwards. As the magnetic field strength increased from 200 to 800 G, the expansion became faster and less isotropic, i.e. more directional toward the substrate. The electric potential distribution accounted for these effects. Varied race track widths and patterns altered the plasma distribution from the target to the substrate. A spiral-shaped magnetic field design was able to produce superior plasma uniformity on the substrate in addition to improved target utilization.

Tracking Amino Acids in Chiral Quantum Corrals

Molecular diffusion, motion, and conformation are critical to chemical and biological processes. Concurrently, understanding how chirality affects these processes has become a critical challenge for various applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries ranging from drug catalysis to novel sensing. Here, we present a unique way of transferring the chirality of simple amino acids, l- and d-alanine, to large-scale chiral networks on Cu(111). We further utilize the unique geometry of the chiral network as a scaffolding to isolate individual molecules within a 1.2 nm hexagonal pore. These hexagonal pores act as single molecule “race tracks” where excess alanine molecules trapped at the perimeter are observed to hop between six distinct locations around the perimeter. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been utilized to directly track, influence, and probe this molecular motion confined to self-assembled, chiral, hexagonal pores which also form quantum corrals.

Detection, quantification, and identification of dermorphin in equine plasma and urine by LC–MS/MS for doping control

Dermorphin is a unique opioid peptide that is 30-40 times more potent than morphine. It was misused and went undetected in horse racing until 2011 when intelligence obtained from a few North American race tracks suggested its use. To prevent such misuse, a reliable analytical method became necessary for detection and identification of dermorphin in post-race horse samples. This paper describes the first liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for such a purpose. Equine plasma and urine samples were pre-treated with ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid and urea prior to solid-phase extraction (SPE) on Oasis MCX cartridges. Resulting eluates were dried under vacuum and analyzed by LC-MS/MS for dermorphin. The matrix effect, SPE efficiency, intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision, and stability of the analyte were assessed. The limit of detection was 10 pg/mL in plasma and 20 pg/mL in urine, and the limit of confirmation was 20 pg/mL in plasma and 50 pg/mL in urine. Dermorphin in plasma is stable at ambient temperature, but its diastereomer is unstable. With isotopically labeled dermorphin as an internal standard, the quantification range was 20-10,000 pg/mL in plasma and 50-20,000 pg/mL in urine. The intra-day and inter-day accuracy was from 91 % to 100 % for the low, intermediate, and high concentrations. The intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation were less than 12 %. The method differentiates dermorphin from its diastereomer. This method is very specific for identification of dermorphin in equine plasma and urine, as assessed by BLAST search and targeted SEQUEST search, and by MS/MS spectrum library search. The method has been successfully applied to analysis of samples collected following dermorphin administration to research horses and of official post-race samples.

DOES INTERNATIONAL SIMULCAST WAGERING REDUCE LIVE HANDLE AT CANADIAN RACETRACKS?

Consumer interest in horse racing has declined significantly in North America. In an attempt to reverse this decline, additional gambling opportunities, including simulcast betting, have been added at race tracks. This paper investigates the impact of simulcast betting on live racing handle at Canadian horse racetracks. Using data from the 18 largest Canadian racetracks over the period 1999 through 2006, IV results indicate that increases in remote wagering opportunities in Canada lead to small positive increases in live handle. Simulcast betting opportunities do not cannibalize live wagering, rather they increase live wagering.

A Case Report of Lung Cancer in a Horse Trainer Caused by Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica: An Exposure Assessment

Here, we present a case of lung cancer in a 48-year-old male horse trainer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such case report to include an exposure assessment of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) as a quartz. The trainer had no family history of lung cancer. Although he had a 15 pack/year cigarette-smoking history, he had stopped smoking 12 years prior to his diagnosis. For the past 23 years, he had performed longeing, and trained 7-12 horses per day on longeing arena surfaces covered by recycled sands, the same surfaces used in race tracks. We investigated his workplace RCS exposure, and found it to be the likely cause of his lung cancer. The 8-hour time weight average range of RCS was 0.020 to 0.086 mg/m3 in the longeing arena. Horse trainers are exposed to RCS from the sand in longeing arenas, and the exposure level is high enough to have epidemiological ramifications for the occupational risk of lung cancer.

UNFAIR GAMES, SUBJECTIVE PROBABILITIES, AND FAVOURITE-LONGSHOT BIAS IN FINNISH HORSE RACING

This paper discusses risky and uncertain decision-making in the framework of gambling. The well-known anomaly of favourite-longshot bias is considered. We argue that gambling behaviour can be seen as consumption. Thus, gambling behaviour is more than a risky choice. It is reasonable to assume that the price of gambling is the take-out rate or the expected loss. We illustrate, with some elementary gambling, that the gambling markets constitute an environment where risky choices can be measured only with probabilities. Typical gambling behaviour (e.g. horse betting) is modelled by an approach that includes the attractiveness of risk, subjective probability, and the utility of money. We tested the favourite-longshot bias with a large accumulated dataset from Finnish horse race tracks that monitored more than 27,000 races over a five-year period. The empirical results indicate that Finnish gamblers’ behaviour is biased: they gamble too little on favourites and too much on longshots. Our results confirm the universality of the favourite-longshot bias that can be found in Western Europe, Australia and the USA.

Using the GoingStick to assess pitch quality

Mechanical behaviour of natural turf sports pitches is commonly assessed using the Clegg Impact Soil Tester and the studded disc apparatus under benchmark frameworks. Using the studded disc is time consuming and laborious, which restricts the frequency at which data on surfaces can be collected. To address this, the GoingStick® was evaluated for use as a surface assessment tool. The device was originally developed for testing horseracing tracks, and quantifies both the penetration resistance and shear resistance of the turf surface. Data were collected on three sports pitches (rugby union and football) of varying sporting level and soil texture over two seasons of sport. A laboratory experiment was also conducted assessing data from the GoingStick and the Clegg Impact Soil Tester for four soil treatments. The first season data highlighted that the maximum measurable value was too low on the device, owing to sports pitches being harder than race tracks. This issue was also found for the harder soil treatments in the laboratory study. The development of a new sports pitch calibration resolved this issue for the second season, where the entire range of resistance was successfully measured. Linear relationships were evident between penetration resistance measured with the GoingStick and impact hardness measured with the third drop of the 2.25 kg Clegg Impact Soil Tester (r2 = 0.75), and between shear resistance measured with the GoingStick and peak torque resistance measured by the studded disc (r2 = 0.88). The results of the study indicate the potential for the GoingStick to efficiently quantify the mechanical behaviour of natural turf pitches. Further work should aim to determine benchmark ranges for the measured parameters and incorporate the device within decision-support frameworks for surface management.

Detection of Various Performance Enhancing Substances in Specimens Collected from Race Horses in Illinois: A Five-Year Experience

In order to protect the integrity of horse racing in Illinois, a complex testing of urine and blood specimens collected post-race from winning and special designation horses is continuously conducted. The initial screening by immunoassays was followed by the confirmation on presumptive positive samples. Instrumental screening was also conducted. Perimortem and postmortem specimens and special exhibits (syringes, needles, etc.) were also analyzed. The administration of alkalinizing agents was detected by measuring the total plasma carbon dioxide concentration. The laboratory analyzed specimens collected post race from winning horses and special designation horses at eight race tracks in the State of Illinois over the five-year time period (2004-2009). The total number of specimens collected was 91,808, comprising 45,210 urine specimens and 46,598 blood specimens. The total number of violations was 413 (0.45% of the total number of specimens analyzed); 207 were blood specimens (0.44% of the total blood specimens analyzed), and 206 were urine specimens (0.45% of the total urine specimens analyzed). A total of 220 violations were reported for harness horses, and 193 were reported for Thoroughbred horses. The number of reported violations of the total tested specimens in Illinois was small, but a wide variety of performance-enhancing drugs was shown.

Ring resonator with multimode waveguide turning-mirror couplers in InGaAsP-InP

Compact In 0.67Ga 0.33As 0.6P 0.4/In 0.71Ga 0.29As 0.74P 0.26 on InP single ring resonators incorporating 2 × 2 multimode interference (MMI) turning-mirror couplers with cross coupling factor of 0.15 have been demonstrated. The form of race tracks is a 15-degree arc of 260 μm radius joined with a 60-degree arc of 110 μm radius, and finished with another 15-degree arc of 260 μm radius. The MMI turning-mirror coupler of 128 μm in length is used in the single ring resonators, which correspond to free spectral ranges of 82 GHz. A contrast of 4 dB, a finesse of nearly 3 and full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 0.24 nm for the drop port have been achieved in this single ring resonator. From the experimental value T max/ T min of 21 dB, the experiment coupling factor coincides with the simulation.

Settlements - natural environment relationships and tourism potential in Çamiçi (Tokat - Turkey)

Camici; which is a ward statute in Niksar city in Tokat province; is situated on an important route between Niksar and Unye, connecting Kelkit Basin to the Black Sea coast. It was established on the interior of forest grazing lands of Ardicli and Özdemir villages, and partially on mountain pasture land of Karabodur village. In addition to its natural and cultural richness Çamiçi has potentials of rural recreation and high plateau tourism. The settlements have developed in a dispersed manner with housing zones called “oba” and “site”. In Ilkoba, where the first settlement was established by the people of Niksar, we come across wooden mountain houses built in 1950s. In the following years residental houses, have been built on valleys, lying on inner ranges of Canik Mountains. These kept on increasing by damaging forestlands. Today housing pressure is increasingly continuing on these areas. Houses, generally used as summer houses, were built in different architectural styles incompatible with nature. Although upper level plans of the region have strategic objectives related to developing high plateau tourism, no decisions were taken on the planning for Camici. According to the 2015 Implemantation Development Plan of Camici; prepared as a lower scale plan; housing pressure has increased. For developing settlements in the area new housing zone was offered threefold of the size of floured structuring and present housing zone. At the same time common use areas serving residents living in summer months were offered. Furthermore, to become an centre of attraction for tourism, bicycle paths and race tracks, recreation areas, fair ground – festival area, telepheric line and a musician-artist village was added to the plans of Camici High Plateau. The aim of this study thus was to evaluate development of physical settlements in the context of its relationship with the natural environment in Camici, determine the potential in terms of high plateau tourism, and suggest required constructure criteria. This was acheived by going through present written sources, statistical data, urban development plans, followed by the preparation of land surveys and interviews. The development of settlements from 1950 to present and its relationship with natural evnviroment were examined. The problems of settlement in high plateau related to local governments services were asserted and finally high plateau tourism potential was evaluated.

Occupational and recreational noise exposures at stock car racing circuits: An exploratory survey of three professional race tracks

Noise in stock car racing is accepted as a normal occurrence but the exposure levels associated with the sport have not been adequately characterized. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted an exploratory assessment of noise exposures to drivers, racing team members, and spectators at three stock car racing events. Sound level measurements were conducted using sound level meters, personal noise dosimeters, and a digital audio tape recorder that made sound recordings for later laboratory analysis. Area sound level measurements were made during race preparation, practice, qualification, and competition. Personal dosimetry measurements were conducted on drivers, team members, and spectators. Findings showed time-weighted averages (TWA) that ranged from A-weighted 96 decibels (dBA) for a spectator in the stands during a race to 114 dBA for a driver inside a car during practice. Peak sound pressure levels exceeded the maximum allowable limit of 140 dB during race competitions. Personal exposure measurements exceeded the NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 85 dBA as an 8-hr TWA in less than a minute for one driver during practice, within several minutes for team members, and less than one hour for spectators during the race. Hearing protection use was variable and intermittent among team members and spectators. Among drivers and team members, there was greater concern for communication performance than for hearing protection.

Thermal transitions in high oil content petroleum-based wax blends used in granular sport surfaces

Five waxes were extracted from five different synthetic horse race tracks in the United States. These tracks included two cool weather tracks (Kentucky and Northern California) and three warm weather tracks (Southern California). All of these tracks operate over a significant range of temperatures and some even have large temperature swings within a single day of operation. Waxes used in these surfaces are generally a blend of normal paraffins, hydrocarbon oil, and microcrystalline wax that most likely originated from a de-oiling process where the lower carbon distributions had been removed. In this work, a solvent separation was used to remove the wax from samples of material obtained from each of these five tracks after they had been used for at least 3 months. The drop melt temperatures of the wax separated from the five tracks ranged from 67 to over 84 °C. Gas chromatography (GC) tests showed n-paraffin mass percentages ranging from 31.4% to 37.9% with the more complex oil and microcrystalline isomers making up the remainder. The drop melt temperatures increased as the ratio of weight average molecular weights for normals and isomers for each wax approached one. GC carbon distributions spanned from approximately C22 to C67. Curves for waxes obtained using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for each wax also showed distinct thermal behavior. All of the waxes show indications of two thermal peaks; however, in several cases the peaks showed significant overlap. Two wax samples also had small tertiary peaks. One wax contains two well-defined GC distributions of n-paraffins (low and high number carbon) and isomers and is believed to be a blend of two different waxes. The first peak corresponds to paraffin wax melting temperature ranges while the secondary and tertiary peaks correspond to melting of high carbon number microcrystalline wax and other complex isomers containing high melting temperatures. The DSC melting transition temperatures for all the waxes studied were found to occur within expected operational temperature ranges for racing surfaces. The temperature range was obtained from a representative track over a 4-day period of operation. Given the observed changes in the properties of the waxes it is possible that the mechanical properties of the tracks will also change with temperature. The results from this analysis suggest important temperatures to consider for further analysis of the materials containing these high oil content waxes.

Some phenotypic and genetic parameters of racing performance in Arabian horses

Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting racing performance and to estimate the heritability of racing performance in Arabian horses. In this study the records were obtained from 6203 races of 616 male foals of 37 stallions racing at open races in different race tracks in Turkey during the years of 1991-2000. The least squares mean of racing time was found to be 176.29±0.95 seconds and there were significant differences (p<0.001) in racing years, racing distances, racing groups and race tracks. The estimated mean value for the amount of earning was 15660.6±556.7 $ (USA). The effect of mare age, year, distance, racing group, race tracks and foal age on the earning were significant (p<0.05; p<0.001). There were statistically significant differences among mean value of speed (m/second) for all of the investigated factors and the variance among stallions was found to be significant. The heritability of mean speed was estimated as 0.170±0.001 according to paternal half sib correlation method, the heritability according to the mean amount of earnings was 0.46±0.15. In this study heritability for racing performance was found to be moderate and therefore it is concluded that this character was improved by selection.

Detection and quantification of low levels of benzoylecgonine in equine urine

Cocaine (COC) is a highly addictive plant alkaloid expressing strong psychostimulatory effect. It has no medical use in equine veterinary practice. The contamination of the environment with cocaine such as its presence on the US paper currency has been reported few times. There are anecdotal reports of low benzoylecgonine (BE) concentrations (usually much less than 100 ng/mL) being found in urine of race horses. In order to protect horsemen against harsh penalties associated with the presence of trace amounts of BE in horse urine as a result of environmental contamination, in February 2005 the Illinois Racing Board issued new medication rules that established the threshold level of 150 ng/mL for BE in equine urine. The penalties associated with this rule provide for increasing fines ($250, $500, $1000) with successive positive reports against a trainer for levels of BE below 150 ng/mL. A total of 19,315 urine samples were collected over the 2-year period of time from winning horses (both harness and thoroughbred) at race tracks in Illinois for routine drug screening (ELISA). The presence of BE was confirmed by GC/MS in 28 urine samples (0.14%). The concentration range for BE in harness horses (21 detections) was <5–91 ng/mL, and for thoroughbred (seven detections) was 7–52 ng/mL. To date, the laboratory has not reported concentrations of BE that exceed the established threshold concentration of 150 ng/mL.

Genetic analysis of racing performance in Irish greyhounds

The aim of this study was to analyse racing performance data in Irish greyhounds with regard to genetic and environmental variation. Estimation of heritabilities for racing time (RT) and ranking, and the prediction of breeding values for all greyhounds in the investigated data were carried out. Data from 42,785 races in Ireland in the years 2000-2003 were available. These results were obtained from 42,880 greyhounds on 20 race tracks over a distance of 480 m. Three traits were analysed, RT, ranking and a scaled logarithmic function for RT (ART), which was used to adjust racing time to be normally distributed. The data were analysed with a bivariate animal model. The estimated heritabilities were moderate for RT (0.31) and ART (0.38), but very low for ranking (0.10). The repeatabilities were 0.56 (RT), 0.51 (ART) and 0.13 (ranking). The genetic correlations were very high, 0.99 (RT-ranking) and 0.96 (ART-ranking), while the phenotypic correlation was lower, 0.60 (RT-ranking) and 0.62 (ART-ranking). The genetic trend for the traits as well as the phenotypic change of the average RT was positive.

Pharmacokinetics of boldenone and stanozolol and the results of quantification of anabolic and androgenic steroids in race horses and nonrace horses

Anabolic steroids (ABS) boldenone (BL; 1.1 mg/kg) and stanozolol (ST; 0.55 mg/kg) were administered i.m. to horses and the plasma samples collected up to 64 days. Anabolic steroids and androgenic steroids (ANS) in plasma were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The limit of detection of all analytes was 25 pg/mL. The median absorption (t1/2 partial differential) and elimination (t1/2e) half-lives for BL were 8.5 h and 123.0 h, respectively, and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUCho) was 274.8 ng.h/mL. The median t1/2e for ST was 82.1 h and the was 700.1 ng.h/mL. Peak mean (X+/-SD) plasma concentrations (Cmax) for BL and ST were 1127.8 and 4118.2 pg/mL, respectively. Quantifiable concentrations of ABS and ANS were found in 61.7% of the 988 plasma samples tested from race tracks. In 17.3% of the plasma samples two or more ABS or ANS were quantifiable. Testosterone (TES) concentrations mean (X+/-SE) in racing and nonracing intact males were 241.3+/-61.3 and 490.4+/-35.1 pg/mL, respectively. TES was not quantified in nonracing geldings and female horses, but was in racing females and geldings. Plasma concentrations of endogenous 19-nortestosterone (nandrolone; NA) from racing and nonracing males were 50.2+/-5.5 and 71.8+/-4.6 pg/mL, respectively.

Genetic and environmental parameters for racing time at different distances in Brazilian Thoroughbreds

The aim of the present study was to investigate genetic parameters for racing time in Thoroughbred horses racing at distances between 1000 and 1600 m subdivided into 100-m intervals. The data provided by TURFETOTAL Ltda comprised races that occurred in the Gávea and Cidade Jardim race tracks over a period of 11 years (1992-2002) and consisted of 32,145 races and 238,890 time records. The variance components necessary to obtain the heritability and repeatability estimates of the traits studied were estimated with the MTDFREML program, and animal age at race (3 years old or younger, 4, 5 and older than 5 years), sex (male and female), number of races (1-32,145), and postposition at start (1-11) as fixed effects, and animal and permanent environmental random effects were included in a one-trait animal model. Males were significantly superior to females at all distances. Excluding the 1100 m distance, animals 4 years of age were significantly faster than the mean of the other ages for all distances analysed. Horses older than 5 years showed a significantly lower performance than the mean of the other ages for all distances analysed, except for the 1100 m. Postpositions one and two did not differ significantly from one another for any of the distances analysed. These two inner positions both together varied from the other positions depending on race length. The components of additive genetic and permanent environmental variance varied in a similar way, tending to decrease with increasing racing distance, and the other temporary environmental variance almost doubled from 1000 to 1600 m. As was the case for the additive genetic and environmental variances, heritability and repeatability estimates tended to decrease with increasing distance, indicating that selection based on racing time will be less successful when the racing distance increases.

Femoral asymmetry in the Thoroughbred racehorse

To investigate the occurrence of geometrical asymmetries in the macro-architecture of left and right femurs from Thoroughbred racehorses previously used in competitive training and racing in New South Wales, Australia. Detailed postmortem measurements were made of 37 characteristics of left and right femurs from eleven Thoroughbred racehorses euthanased for reasons unrelated to the study. Measurements focused on articulating surfaces and sites of attachment of muscles and ligaments known to be associated with hindlimb locomotion. Five measurements were significantly larger in left compared to right femurs (P < 0.05). The regions showing significant differences between left and right limbs were proximal cranial and overhead medio-lateral widths, greater trochanter depth, depth of the fovea in the femoral head and distal inter-epicondylar width. The left-right differences in femoral morphology were associated with sites of muscle and ligament attachment known to be involved with hindlimb function in negotiating turns. These differences may be the result of selection pressure for racing performance on curved race tracks and/or adaptations related to asymmetrical loading of the outside hindlimb associated with repeated negotiation of turns on such tracks.