HP wrote: "What varies according to distance? I don't get it."
A lost length, due to ground loss, off poorly, weight carried, etc., is more important the shorter the race. This is because the time (about a fifth of a second) the nine feet or so of trouble or added weight adds to the horse's final time is more important the shorter the race. And this, in turn, is because a fifth of a second is a bigger percentage of the, say, 57 seconds it takes to run 5f than it is of the, say, 120 seconds it takes to run 10f.
According to the chart in front of me, this is the value--in points--of a length at several different distances:
.96 at 5f, .80 at 6f, .60 at one mile, .48 at a mile and one quarter.
The slide reflects the increased importance of a length (or an inch, or 20 lengths) at shorter distances.
You also wrote: "You're at least as wrong as me, given the points above."
That is monumentally false, but it is well said, Pangloss. Now you must cultivate your garden.
