In a race of say 1600-longer, if the horses up front decide to set a cracking pace how come the horses at the back are at such an advantage? During the race the back markers do not run any slower than the front markers (between say 1500-500) because if they did they would drift way back out of the race, it is only for about 50 metres or so at the start they they are going slower IMO.

So i guess my question is how come back markers have so much more to give at the finish of a fast set tempo race to say a horse that camped behind the leader with cover?

The figures show that this is and always will be a trend in racing but i want to know if anyone can tell me why. (i got hurt a couple of times recently by this)

P.S Its obvious in a sit and sprint race why the front runners are at an advantage- they have gone slow and are given a lead by back markers and are just impossible to peg back. Or am i just whipping a dead horse?

It's all about energy usage & how much petrol is left in the tank. If a horse is six lengths back off the lead at the 800m then it has ran that distance about one second slower than the leaders, which would have required a lot less energy, particularly if the pace has been fast. Usually those leaders run out of energy down the straight and slow down a lot quicker than they would if the pace had been natural or slow.

If you are really interested then there are texts that go into this in great detail, probably the best being Brohamer's Modern Pace Handicapping.

much appreciated

Lactic acid, lads, lactic acid.