Passing Time

A passing time is the leader’s elapsed time at a specified distance. In Korean race results, it describes the pace of the race rather than the individual time of every runner.

Three related fields

Field	Meaning
Distance covered	How far the horses have run
Passing time	The leader’s time at that distance
Cumulative passing time	The leader’s cumulative time on reaching each corner

Both time fields use the leader at that point as their reference. They describe how quickly the race was developing, not necessarily how quickly a particular horse covered the same ground.

Calculated at 1-furlong intervals

Passing times are worked backward in 1-furlong (200 m) intervals. The final figure is the winning time recorded by the first-place horse. In other words, the series divides the race into points measured back from the finish.

Reading the pace

Putting the cumulative figures in order reveals the shape of the race. An unusually quick opening may indicate a strongly contested early pace, which can leave the leaders tiring late and benefit horses coming from behind. A slower opening can allow a front-runner to conserve energy and make ground harder to recover.

Even an impressive late sectional such as 3F-G needs this context. If the early pace was demanding, a runner farther back may have enjoyed more favorable circumstances late.

What to keep in mind

Because the published passing time follows the leader, it is not the actual elapsed time of a horse racing behind. Estimating when that horse reached the point also requires considering how far it trailed.

See Understanding S1F and G3F for a broader guide to reading the sections together.