Two new tabs on the RaceMetrics Sectionals page reveal the engine of a horse's performance: Top Speed measures the fastest speed each horse reached during a race, displayed in miles per hour. Stride plots how that speed was generated — the relationship between stride length and cadence.
Top Speed
The Top Speed tab ranks the field by peak velocity, fastest first, with speed bars and medals for the three fastest runners. It is the simplest sectional number and one of the most useful: a straightforward measure of raw ability at any point in the race.
A high top speed that did not result in victory often indicates a horse whose race circumstances — rather than capability — went against it.
Stride
The Stride tab explains the mechanics behind that speed. Every horse's velocity is the product of stride length multiplied by cadence: how far each stride covers, times how many strides per second.
The scatter plot positions each runner by average stride length (horizontal axis) and cadence (vertical axis), with the field averages marked. Long-striding, low-cadence horses cluster to one side—relaxed, galloping types. Short-strided, high-cadence horses cluster to the other—speed types, sharp and busy.
Neither pattern is inherently superior. What matters is whether a horse's natural method suits the race conditions. A long stride with finishing speed indicates a high-class galloper; a short, quick stride that quickens late describes a speed horse winning within its design.
Stride moves beyond race description into physical portrait: the horse itself, not just the result.
