'Inquiry minds' want to know....judges booth at harness track...

[Wendall Tilley]

I have both judged and driven.Sometimes you drive a horse that is big and stretches his head out and your bike is behind your competitor's and he thinks he won and conversely so.  Sometimes you're in a heated stretch drive and you kinda lose sight of the wire. The video camera is never on the wire so you get an angle either right or left of the line.I've been in the judges stand shoulder to shoulder and you will have a different perspective on the finish especially if a horse is coming fast and wide. But yes, there are judges that bet- I've worked with a couple. Today judges need more evidence for a placing because everybody has a lawyer.  Alot of times the offended driver will say naw he didn't bother me. Take that to court see where that goes.

[fairguy]

Some finish photos leave more questions than answers as the wire appears angled or otherwise altered! Check out the place photo in the second at Pompano Thursday night! No way the 6 horse got up for a dead heat! The photo shown had the line distinctly slanted!

"Slanting" the line is not possible with the technology and software used today for photo finish.

Also, the line you see in the picture is just a tool used to help separate horses.  The "picture" is actually a scan of all the horses on the finish line in relation to each other.  The actual finish line is the background of the picture.  These cameras take pictures of over 2000 frames per second, so the colored pylon on the finish line will be a continuous line on the picture.

It's amazing how many make such ridiculous claims without knowing how anything actually works.

[fairguy]

HUMPTY KNEW

It absolutely cannot be slanted, lol.

[fairguy]

The line you see in a photo finish pic is built in to camera. The way the judges manipulate a finish is they start taking pics about 5 feet before finish and continue clicking for 2 or 3 feet after. They now have about 10 or 12 pics to choose from and in a blanket finish they may have 2 or 3 different "finishes". Of course they can only do this when horses are noses apart but trust me, it is done more than you know. Usually the way you can tell is watch the replay and when the horse actually hits the wire, look at what the driver is doing. He may be leaning back or he may be in the process of whipping. Then when you see the "official" photo, the driver is not doing either and that is because they are using a pic before or after the horse actually hit the line. FACT!!!!!

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read, lol.

To whoever is reading this, please know there is no truth to this whatsoever.

[Jctoronto]

Asking..

In the judges 'unwritten' job description...how often does 'cleaning up' a photo finish mess or lapped on breaking decision or optional pylon violation, when drivers screw up a predetermined 'enveloped finish', occur?

Does any judge also get 'envelope' in advance of racing...like many drivers do.  It would be helpful for a judge(s) to know how backstretch is thinking, right?

To say there are no 'assists' from judges stand would be short sighted, no?

[comeonman]

Stop the insanity... The photo is sent to a computer. Then line is moved to noses. It's that simple. Stop the insanity on fixed photos. 

[Fatboy]

Asking..

In the judges 'unwritten' job description...how often does 'cleaning up' a photo finish mess or lapped on breaking decision or optional pylon violation, when drivers screw up a predetermined 'enveloped finish', occur?

Does any judge also get 'envelope' in advance of racing...like many drivers do.  It would be helpful for a judge(s) to know how backstretch is thinking, right?

To say there are no 'assists' from judges stand would be short sighted, no?

  ENVELOPES RECEIVED AFTER 6:30 PM POST WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED DURING PHOTOS

[fairguy]

Wake Up.

https://www.paulickreport.com/horseplayers-category/whoops-delaware-park-officials-post-incorrect-order-finish/

https://readhorseracing.com/2018/03/29/bha-apologise-after-incorrect-photo-finish-judgement/

https://www.racingpost.com/news/photo-finish-farce-at-sandown-as-wrong-winner-called-before-result-is-amended/337979

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/may/22/photo-finish-punters-ventura-dragon-carlisle-betting-horse-racing

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/australian-racing-board-will-review-rule-that-potentially-duds-punters-on-photo-finishes/news-story/74b0424313813b781bc8f2473e486f35

These don't have anything to do with the garbage you posted in my response.  Judges manipulating pictures, blanket finishes, multiple pictures to choose from??  Everything in your post is so factually inaccurate it's comical.  Judges in harness racing don't even have access to the computers running the photo finish software, photo finish is normally located in an entirely different room operated by another individual.

I have extensive knowledge of how today's photo finish cameras, and the corresponding software, work, so I know what I'm talking about.  Try educating yourself instead of spreading ridiculous conspiracy theories.

[Fatboy]

These don't have anything to do with the garbage you posted in my response.  Judges manipulating pictures, blanket finishes, multiple pictures to choose from??  Everything in your post is so factually inaccurate it's comical.  Judges in harness racing don't even have access to the computers running the photo finish software, photo finish is normally located in an entirely different room operated by another individual.

I have extensive knowledge of how today's photo finish cameras, and the corresponding software, work, so I know what I'm talking about.  Try educating yourself instead of spreading ridiculous conspiracy theories.

"multiple pictures to choose from"   

[kantseeback]

I remember years ago at yr a few people making claims about phoney win photos. 2 guys claimed the driver who won had short hair and in the win photo he had long hair.
I personally never saw anything like that but somebody brought up forte and years ago on a snowy night in the last race forte clearly won, but after the race the photo light came on. I bet forte and everyone around me said don't worry he won easy
long story short he lost the photo. he appeared to win by a head or neck live, I was really pissed

[the master]

I've learned to expect almost anything when money is involved!

[fairguy]

YOU HAVE EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE!!
Here is the model that is used at most tracks. Read the features moron. It has the ability to take over 2000 still frames per second. YOU ARE A MORON!!!!!

http://www.finishlynx.com/product/cameras/etherlynx-vision-photo-finish-camera/

Hahahahaha, who's the moron?  That's exactly what I said in an earlier post.  But it doesn't work like a single snapshot of a normal camera.  When the horses come across the finish line the camera starts taking over 2000 frames per second, so you end up with one continual scan of the entire field.  Not 2000 still pictures, lol.

[fairguy]

BULLSHIT! You can select, print or display any individual frame, you fucktard.

You're embarrassing yourself dude.  An individual frame wouldn't even be recognizable.  I do this for a living.  What you are claiming couldn't be farther from the truth.

[Superfecta]

I won a race for what should have been a lot of money at Hawthorne 2 years ago. I know the wire at every track I bet. I'm betting and watching races for 40 years. The photo that was put up looked like a dead heat and it was clearly just before the wire. I was screwed royally.

[Fatboy]

I won a race for what should have been a lot of money at Hawthorne 2 years ago. I know the wire at every track I bet. I'm betting and watching races for 40 years. The photo that was put up looked like a dead heat and it was clearly just before the wire. I was screwed royally.

THEY HAD SEVERAL PHOTOS TO CHOOSE FROM?