British Pathe

No title. Crowd of men close to camera - we see mostly backs of heads and hats. Camera pans across - they are at a race track. Intertitle reads: "Or the sleek beauty of a thoroughbred horse?" L/S from a high angle of horses being led around the paddock. M/S of a horse being led by a stable boy. Men...

No title. Crowd of men close to camera - we see mostly backs of heads and hats. Camera pans across - they are at a race track. Intertitle reads: "Or the sleek beauty of a thoroughbred horse?" L/S from a high angle of horses being led around the paddock. M/S of a horse being led by a stable boy. Men stand around the paddock and take notes on the form. "Abroad, for years the clock has been the decisive factor in estimating the merits of horses. Here authorities have been sceptical of time tests, because courses differ so much." reads an intertitle. L/S of the track. "The time of a race may be materially affected by the "going" - difficult (but not impossible to calculate..)" Two men walk on the course to test the "going". One of the men pokes the ground with an umbrella. "Another "time" factor is wind velocity - this can be measured by special air meters and allowances made accordingly." C/U of two men consulting a measuring instrument. One of the men writes something in a notebook. "Second only to a good finish is a good start..." L/S of the start of the race. "Some starts are the backers finish!" Slow motion footage of the horses leaving the starting line. "Somebody's "Cert" became an uncertainty here!" One of the horses is very late off the line. "Heavy going - slower time..." Good low angle shot of the horses running over the cameraman slow motion. "Straining horse and riders - a thrill on any course..." Shot of the crowd standing close to the course, camera pans across as the horses run past. "But, it's the finish that decides whether the Bookie spends his winter in Nice or not-so-nice places..." L/S of the horses crossing the line. "Weight, wind and distance can all be translated into terms of time...." As the horses cross the line the camera freezes and a title is superimposed over the photo-finish. "This horse is 3/4 length behind - 3 lbs less weight would have put him level with leader." Dotted lines are superimposed in a diagrammatical style. Another title is superimposed: "This horse 2 lengths behind - an allowance of 8 llbs would have put him level with leader." Then: "An allowance of 4 lbs represents approximately one length at 5 furlongs." The freeze frame releases and the horses run on.

Note: nicely shot horse racing footage and interesting explanation of racing technicalities. Flash-frame intertitles. Was an item in Pathe Pictorial issue number 493.