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"… bad third"

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  • January 25, 2010 at 07:43 #13902
    parlo
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    In old English race-reports you can find the expression for f.e. : “won by a length, a bad third“.

    What does “bad” mean in this context?

    beaten a distance = more than 240 yards?

    In old German race-reports you can find the expression “Weile” = “a while” which describes a distance of more than 10 lengths between horses.

    So, is “bad” in English similar to that German “Weile”?

    Thank you for your answers!

    January 25, 2010 at 18:54 #272054
    Avatar photoGerald
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    Hi Parlo,

    I very much doubt that bad is an acronym of beaten a distance.

    January 25, 2010 at 23:14 #272083
    parlo
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    Well, I found “bad third” even in a classic (f.e. 2,000 Gns. of 1874). Very unlikely that in such races the third may be behind some 240 yards.

    January 25, 2010 at 23:56 #272092
    Avatar photorory
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    Bad is frequently a distance, but essentially means beaten further than could easily be measured by the naked eye. Remember we didn’t have replays or even timings back in the day. It’s a term I like.

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