Charles Schultz of Pa. developed this program for the Jockey Club of Pern. The
JCP and Web Runners have used this program very successfully.
The following is taken directly from the readme.txt of the program, so you may
understand what goes on "behind the scenes" of each race.
STRETCH DRIVE is geared toward running realistic horse races and printing the
results to disk for later perusal or printout. It has been used to run the races for the
Jockey Club of Pern members on GEnie in the SFRT section, which has been active since
1989. The heart of the program is, in my opinion, a very realistic simulation code that
rates the ability of a horse and allows it to perform against competition. The horses are
rated for stamina, three different running speeds, preferred running style, their ability
to perform under multiple conditions, consistency, even their "will to win," and
many other statistics.
Now, how are these horses rated, and why did they run they way they did? I've
tried to create a simulation that rates horses as close to real-life as possible. There
are many variances, like in real life. No two races will ever run exactly the same. Some
horses will have off days, some will always seem to run well. The statistics each horse
has in their unique disk file determines the likelihood of all this.
In brief, each horse has a rating for the following:
Average speed- the speed a horse moves at while running "along with the
pack," when it is neither tired or making an all-out effort.
Minimum speed- how fast a horse goes when tired and out of stamina.
Maximum speed- how fast the horse can run at maximum effort.
Breaking speed- how fast of a start a horse makes from a standstill.
Stamina- how long a horse can run before becoming tired.
Sustain- how long a horse can run at its maximum speed.
Consistency- how often a horse runs at 100% of potential. Horses with a poor consistency
rating are more likely to run below their best.
Mud- if mud affects a horse or not, and how (positively or negatively).
Steeple- does the horse prefer steeplechases and do better at them (or, if you simulate
dirt and turf races only, this statistic can be used to see if they prefer running on
turf).
Courage- a catch-all for why some horses do better than it seems they should. A high score
in this stat will make them more resistant to being passed by other horses, etc, and
enhance their performance slightly. In other words, they fight for it above-and-beyond
their normal physical ability. It's sort of a "will to win" stat.
Style- the horse can either be a "sprinter" that likes to be on the lead from
early in the race, to a "closer" that tends to come from off the pace in the
stretch. "Steady" is the in-between style, indicating the majority of horses
that are varied somewhat in the time they like to make their move in a race. The other
statistics will vary a horse's effectiveness at implementing their natural style.
Bloodline potential- this statistic is only for breeding. It rates how well a horse can
pass on its genes to offspring. Some racing greats had poor bloodline potential and thus
few offspring of high merit, while others (like Alydar) had many offspring that equaled or
excelled their parents' talent.
Sex- colts tend to be slightly stronger than fillies, though not always. Geldings are
neutered male horses that cannot breed; they may be slightly more consistent due to the
fact that they won't be thinking of fillies constantly.
The Statistics: This is a complete rundown of the racing statistics used for
each horse, and how to rate them yourself.
Name: self explanatory. Whatever you decide to name the new critter.
Sex: "colt", "filly" or "gelding" only, please (minus
quotation marks).
Color: "bay", "dark bay", "black", "chestnut",
"roan" and "gray" are typically the standard choices for
thoroughbreds. Note that if you breed two chestnut horses, you're going to get a chestnut
baby. Also, the only way to get a gray foal is to have a gray parent. Since there are
currently no graphics for the simulation, this entry can be ignored and skipped over if
entering the stats yourself.
Breaking Speed: This is how fast a horse breaks from the starting line/gate. A horse with
a high breaking speed, like say Winning Colors or Ruffian, usually is leading the pack
within seconds after the race starts. The range for this statistic is from 1 to 10, with
most horses having a break between 5 and 7. A very low breaking speed can put a horse
hopelessly behind in a race, with much ground to make up before the finish. A very high
break can also make a horse very hard to catch, since they'll "have the jump" on
their competition. Like all these stats, be careful of under/overrating in this stat if
making your own horses by hand. Use the view/edit option to check out how the historical
horses on disk have been rated. I recommend using the view/edit option this way to check
out all the stats, by the way, to get a feel on how the famous horses have been rated.
Minimum Speed: This is how fast a horse runs when they are all out of stamina, tired, and
running past their optimum distance. The range for this stat is 1 to 4 (rarely as high as
5, but no higher), with fillies generally slightly lower than male horses. Note that this
is how fast a horse goes when it's "done-in." It may be quite telling in a long
endurance race if all the competitors get tired.
Average Speed: This is the regular speed a horse runs at while moving along, neither tired
nor "giving their all." The range for this stat is 5 to 7. A rating of 6 is the
most common rating (about 75% of horses), with a rating of 5 meaning that the horse has
little natural speed and will likely lag behind the others. A rating of 7 is somewhat
unusual- a horse with an average speed of 7 has such a naturally superior running gait
that they'll be faster than most other horses just running effortlessly, and probably move
right through the pack during a race.
Maximum Speed: This is the speed a horse runs at when they're going all- out to win, as
fast as they're capable of. The range for this stat is 6 to 10. Most good horses are rated
at 7 to 8 for this stat. Mediocre horses may have a very poor maximum speed, like only 5
or 6, which means they have a maximum speed barely more potent than an average speed.
Extremely fast horses may be capable of bursts of max speed with as high as 9 or 10.
Stamina: This stat tells the program how long a horse can run at their average speed
before getting tired. Each 10 points of Stamina is equal to a furlong in racing distance
(in other words, each point of stamina is 1/10th of a furlong a horse can race without
tiring). For example, a horse with a stamina rating of 48 can only run 4 furlongs and
8/10ths of a furlong before tiring, which means they'll likely be in trouble in everything
but the shortest races. On the other hand, a horse with a stamina rating of 110 could run
a full 11 furlongs before being tired. The normal range for this statistic is from 40 to
140.
Sustain: This stat measures, in 10ths of furlongs like stamina, how long a horse can
sustain their maximum speed during a race. The range is from about 4 to 35 at most. A
horse with a very low sustain of 5 will only be able to put forth their maximum speed for
half a furlong. A horse with 30 points of sustain will be able to grind out at max speed
for a full three furlongs, making them highly formidable. Most horses have a sustain of
between 7 and 25 points.
Consistency: Consistency measures how often a horse runs at 100%. The range is from 1 to
10. A horse with very low consistency will often be running "flat," and
uninspired, but may occasionally put in what appears to be a superior effort. A highly
consistent horse will almost always run close to their full potential. Most horses have a
consistency of 4 to 9.
Mud: Rated from 1 to 10, this is how a horsekQG9les a damp track (track conditions
muddy/wet and slow/yielding). A rating of 5 or 6 means the horse really doesn't perform
much differently on the wet qUd {u!t(v:low rating will start to affect a horse's
performance negatively; they just can't get traction in the wet, or hate being hit with
mud, etc.
Steeplechase: This is rated 1 to 10 just like the Mud rating, indicating if a horse has a
preference for steeplechase (or turf). A horse with a high steeplechase rating will
perform above their normal abilities when in a steeplechase race, almost becoming a
"new horse" over the jumps/turf, and the higher the rating, the more noticeable
their improvement. A rating of 5 or 6 means they have no preference and perform about the
same as on flat courses.
Courage: This catch-all rates a horses competitive spirit. The rating is from 1 to 10.
This stat comes into play most often in the stretch drive of a race. Many mediocre horses
have a low courage rating, and they may tend to give up in the last stages of a race. A
high courage rating will make a horse fight harder not to be passed in the stretch, or to
try to catch up if behind the leader. The higher a courage rating, the more "extra
effort" a horse will try to give, even if they're tired. A horse with a courage
rating of 9 or 10 might well have the lead in the homestretch, get passed by a horse with
more stamina, and then actually fight their way back to win it by a nose. This can be a
powerful influence on the outcome of a race, so be careful when using high courage ratings
when creating your own racers.
Bloodline Potential: This rates, from 1 to 10, how good a horse will be at passing on
their genes to offspring. A horse with low bloodline potential won't have much luck giving
characteristics to their foals. A high rating in this statistic is more likely to produce
offspring that may be the "spitting image" of their parent, or even far superior
in ability. If both parents of a foal have high bloodline potential, the resulting foal is
very likely to have alternating characteristics reminiscent of the parents, such as the
dam's good break speed and the sire's stamina, or better. This can work the opposite way,
too, with a parent's weaknesses also being transferable to the young; any stat the parent
has is subject to being carried on in the genes, though an elusive stat like Courage is
far more likely to be entirely the individual's own innate property.
Maturity: This rating is entirely for the user's convenience in deciding if a horse is
immature or past their prime, and is explained in the racing instructions if you wish to
use it at all.
Style: There are three possible styles: "sprinter", "steady" and
"closer" (as always, minus the quotation marks when entered). Sprinters like to
be on the lead from early in a race. "Steady" horses (the majority of racers)
tend to make their move halfway or on the last turn, while closers like to come in a late
rush near the end of a contest.
So, the statistics work more or less this way in the racing program: at the
beginning of a race, horses may have their potential performances altered by the track
conditions and their preferences. If the horse is Immature or a Has-Been, that will affect
them, too. A "Consistency" roll is made for each horse, to see if their
performance will be altered here, too, by being at less than their best, etc. At the start
of the race, the Breaking speeds of the horses will determine their initial positions
relative to one another (though there are many random factors, and no two races will ever
be exactly alike). Average speed will determine how well they "move along with the
pack." Horses that run out of Stamina will probably start to lose ground as they're
forced to run at their Minimum speed. Horses that decide to make their run will use their
Maximum speed as long as they can Sustain it to try to gain the lead. Sprinters are more
likely to make their run earlier, especially if they're close to running out of Stamina.
Closers will likely wait until the stretch to hit their best stride. Courage may be a
factor, especially in horses that are running at a similar speed/tiring level, and could
make the difference as they hit the wire.
