EARLY SPEED ADVANTAGE

Computes the median average E1 pace across all horses in today's race, then checks if this horse's figure exceeds that median by more than 3 points. E1 pace advantage quantifies how much faster a horse reaches the first call relative to the field. In pace-scenario analysis, this translates directly to positioning advantage: a horse that clears the field early controls its own race and avoids traffic problems. The 3-point threshold filters out marginal differences, identifying only genuinely dominant early movers.