Sectional times in horse racing are the times for parts of a race, most often the last 600 metres (L600), the last 400m and the last 200m. They record how a run was put together, which a finishing position cannot show, so two horses beaten the same margin can be told apart.
Racing Australia's form prints every past start's race time and, where the race was sectionally timed, its last 600m, as in this illustrative line: 1:10.15 (600m 34.95). Both numbers belong to the race, so every runner in it shows the same pair. A horse's own sectional has to come from an individual timing report or be estimated from its margins. The rest of a past-start line is decoded in how to read a form guide.
What sectionals measure: the last 600m, 400m and 200m
| Sectional | What it covers | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Last 600m (L600) | From the 600m mark to the finish | The finishing effort, and the figure Racing Australia's form prints |
| Last 400m (L400) | From the 400m mark to the finish | The final sprint, usually down the straight |
| Last 200m (L200) | The final 200 metres | Whether a horse was still quickening or tiring |
| First section | The start to the 600m mark | The early pace: in a 1200m race, race time minus the L600 |
A 200m split is the time for one 200m segment, and the late sectionals are sums of splits. With illustrative splits for one horse's last 600m of 11.40, 11.25 and 11.85 seconds:
- L600 = 11.40 + 11.25 + 11.85 = 34.50 seconds
- L400 = 11.25 + 11.85 = 23.10 seconds
- L200 = 11.85 seconds, or 200 / 11.85 = 16.9 metres a second, about 61 km/h
This horse ran its last 200m slower than the 200m before it, so it was tiring at the end. What matters is how much it slowed compared with the rest of the field.
To estimate a runner's own L600 from the race's, you need its margin at the 600m as well as at the finish:
own L600 = race L600 + (lengths behind at the finish - lengths behind at the 600m) x seconds per length
This page converts at 0.17 seconds a length, an assumption rather than an official figure, and a length takes less time when horses are running faster. Take a runner 5.0 lengths back at the 600m that finished 2.0 lengths behind. It made up 3.0 lengths, so its own L600 is about the race's L600 - 3.0 x 0.17, or 0.51 seconds quicker than the race's figure.
Why a fast closing sectional behind a slow pace can mislead
A slow first section leaves the whole field fresh at the 600m, so quick closing times come cheaply, and leaders that were never pressed are hard to run down. Race A in the worked example below shows the pattern: its first 600m was 37.15 - 35.20 = 1.95 seconds slower than race B's, and its last 600m of 33.90 was the quicker of the two. A fast closing sectional in a slowly run race shows that a horse can sprint, not that it ran well.
The reverse trap sits in races with a hot early pace: the leaders tire, the late sectionals slow, and a horse passing them can look strong when it was the leaders that stopped. Either way, read the closing sectional with the first section. For a 1200m race, first 600m = race time - last 600m, and both are judged against other races at the same track and distance.
A speed map forecasts the pace before the race; the sectionals tell you afterwards whether the forecast was right.
Worked: two runs with the same margin and different sectionals
Example: Illustrative races, not real ones: two 1200m races in the same class at one track on the same afternoon, both on a Good 4 track. Each runner's own last 600m comes from an individual timing report, and lengths convert to time at 0.17 seconds.
| Runner X, race A | Runner Y, race B | |
|---|---|---|
| Race time and last 600m | 1:11.05 (600m 33.90) | 1:10.15 (600m 34.95) |
| Race's first 600m | 71.05 - 33.90 = 37.15 | 70.15 - 34.95 = 35.20 |
| Settled | 2nd | 10th |
| Beaten | 2.0 lengths | 2.0 lengths |
| Own last 600m | 34.10 | 34.40 |
| Own race time | 71.05 + 2.0 x 0.17 = 71.39 | 70.15 + 2.0 x 0.17 = 70.49 |
| Own first 600m | 71.39 - 34.10 = 37.29 | 70.49 - 34.40 = 36.09 |
Read only the closing sectionals and Runner X looks better: 34.10 against 34.40, 0.30 seconds quicker. Read the whole run and Runner Y comes out well ahead. It ran the 1200m 71.39 - 70.49 = 0.90 seconds faster, about 0.90 / 0.17 = 5.3 lengths. It also went 37.29 - 36.09 = 1.20 seconds faster through the first 600m and still closed in 34.40. Runner X, by contrast, sat second in a slowly run race and lost ground in the sprint home.
Because both were beaten 2.0 lengths, the seconds-per-length figure drops out of the 0.90 seconds. Only the conversion to lengths depends on it: 0.90 / 0.15 = 6.0 lengths at 0.15 seconds a length, and 0.90 / 0.20 = 4.5 lengths at 0.20. The verdict holds either way.
Comparing sectionals across tracks and ratings
Raw sectionals compare fairly only within the same track, distance and rating band. Straights differ in length and some rise towards the finish, a wet rating slows every section, and a rail moved out changes the path the field runs. Racing Australia's turf scale runs Firm 1 to 2, Good 3 to 4, Soft 5 to 7 and Heavy 8 to 10, and track ratings explained covers how each rating is set.
Build a par for each track, distance and band from a dated set of official results, such as the median race L600 over two seasons. Then grade each run as seconds faster or slower than its par. With illustrative pars for one track's 1200m:
| Rating band | Par last 600m (illustrative) | A last 600m of 35.10 against par | In lengths at 0.17 seconds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good 3 to 4 | 34.60 | 35.10 - 34.60 = 0.50 seconds slower | 0.50 / 0.17 = 2.9 lengths worse |
| Soft 5 to 7 | 35.50 | 35.50 - 35.10 = 0.40 seconds faster | 0.40 / 0.17 = 2.4 lengths better |
| Heavy 8 to 10 | 36.80 | 36.80 - 35.10 = 1.70 seconds faster | 1.70 / 0.17 = 10.0 lengths better |
The same number is a poor run on a Good track and a strong one on a Heavy track. Across courses, compare the graded figures, never the raw seconds. A par is only as good as its sample, so a track and distance that stages a handful of races a season needs a longer window or a wider rating band.
Where to find sectional times
| Source | What you get |
|---|---|
| Racing Australia's free form | Each past start's race time and, where timed, the race's last 600m, with positions at the 800m and 400m |
| Racing Queensland's thoroughbred sectionals and position maps | Sectional files, and position maps built from GPS speed and position data for each horse, as PDF and CSV files for Queensland meetings (checked 7 October 2026) |
| Form services | Their own runner-by-runner sectionals, built by methods that vary |
| Harness and greyhound racing | Their own timing, covered in harness racing sectional times |
Racing Queensland's announcement of 11 March 2024 added each horse's stride length and frequency for every furlong, its average and top speeds, its racing position and its distance from the rail. Distance from the rail lets you work out the extra ground a wide run cost, which a barrier draw or a speed map can only predict.
Using sectionals in a price
Sectionals reach a price only through your chance for the runner: the read moves that chance, and the fair price follows from it. Say Runners X and Y from the worked example meet next start. On margins alone you had X at 21% and Y at 12%; after the sectional read you move X to 20% and Y to 14% (illustrative judgements and prices):
| Runner | Market price | Your chance | Fair price | Edge (price x chance - 1) | Expected value of $10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | $4.40 | 20% | 1 / 0.20 = $5.00 | 4.40 x 0.20 - 1 = -12.0% | 10 x (0.20 x 4.40 - 1) = -$1.20 |
| Y | $7.50 | 14% | 1 / 0.14 = $7.14 | 7.50 x 0.14 - 1 = +5.0% | 10 x (0.14 x 7.50 - 1) = +$0.50 |
If the market has priced X on its eye-catching closing sectional, the full read is your reason to disagree. Keep the shifts small: one run is one piece of evidence, and the next race may be run at a different pace. Leave sectionals out of a price altogether when the comparison is unfair, such as a run with a clear excuse, a track with no par, or a wet run set against dry pars. Horse racing ratings covers turning a whole assessment into a price.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A sectional read is your estimate, the next race can be run to a completely different shape, and a runner priced above your fair figure can still lose. There is no guarantee of profit; see responsible gambling for limits and support.
Mistakes people make with sectionals
- Treating the race's 600m figure as every runner's own.
- Praising a fast closing sectional that came off a slow early pace.
- Comparing raw times across tracks, distances or rating bands.
- Ignoring the rail: moving it out changes the path the field runs and the time it takes.
- Reading too much into small gaps. At 0.17 seconds a length, 0.05 seconds is 0.05 / 0.17 = 0.3 of a length, inside the error of any hand-made estimate.
- Building a view from one run instead of several.
Where B337 fits
Pars, grades and the prices you build from them are your own work, because B337 has no ratings engine, no model and no selections. Its Terminal shows the other half, the market: prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports side by side, with Betfair back and lay, flucs (price history), closing lines and EV overlays. On racing, an EV overlay compares each price with an estimated fair price drawn from Betfair's market, so it is an estimate, not a forecast, and not your rating.
Because prices are collected in cycles, not tick by tick, check the price in your own bookmaker account before betting, and expect some races to have bookmakers missing. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds; Betfair prices, closing lines and EV overlays come with paid plans, starting at Terminal View. Betfair is a trade mark of its owner, and B337 is not affiliated with it. For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A price that sits above your own figure, or above an EV overlay, can still lose, and prices move between the screen and your bet. See responsible gambling for limits and support.