Hi there. I'm interested in the importance everyone here places on time comparisons between different tracks when doing your form preparation.

I'm primarily a harness punter and know full-well that a mile rate of 2 minutes around a tight track like Warragul can be looked upon favourably against a mile rate of 1:56 around Melton. I suspect irregular harness punters would most likely be unaware of these discrepencies, just like I am when doing form for the gallops or greyhounds and trying to compare runners with recent starts from different race tracks.

I know there are time ratings on the gallops, but does anyone actually know how these are compiled and do they even take into account the vagaries of different tracks? It seems that most form guides simply provide the gross race time, and perhaps some sectional times as well. But how relevant are these raw figures without first taking into account the track it took place on? Afterall, most punters I've met would never factor in a race's overall time without also taking the track rating into account.

Any thoughts are appreciated.