Epsom Oaks & Derby 2026The Stride & Sectional Showcase
A horse's speed is its stride length multiplied by its cadence (strides per second). Over a mile and a half at Epsom, the winning profile leans on a long, efficient stride and the ability to switch off — the hallmark of a true stayer. Below is RaceMetrics' own stride, cadence and sectional data for every declared runner in Friday's Oaks and Saturday's Derby, drawn from their latest trials.
Inspired by Simon Rowlands' stride analysis for At The Races. The figures here are our own.
Stride length
How far a horse travels with each stride, in feet. Boosted by fast ground, downhill sections and a steady early gallop. A long, sustained stride (often 25ft+) is associated with Classic-winning stamina.
Cadence
Strides per second — the rhythm of the gallop. Sprinters stride fast; over a mile and a half the best middle-distance horses can switch off and settle on a lower, even cadence, conserving energy for the Epsom finish.
Finishing speed %
How fast a horse finishes relative to its own average pace. Above 100% means it accelerated late — a sign of stamina in reserve and a well-judged ride, exactly what the stiff Epsom climb demands.
How RaceMetrics reads a race
RaceMetrics breaks every race into furlong-by-furlong sections, capturing each runner's stride length, cadence, position and finishing speed. Combined with our Elo-style ratings for horses and their connections, and our "future form" tracker — which follows how a horse's rivals have performed since — it builds a picture that raw form figures miss. The Oaks and Derby trials (the Cheshire Oaks, Chester Vase, Lingfield and York trials) are all covered, so you can judge each Classic contender on the data, not the hype.
This page is a free taste. Proform Premium members with the TPD Sectionals add-on get sectional, stride and pace analysis like this for every British race, every day.