SECOND START AFTER LAYOFF

Fires when the current gap is under 45 days, the gap before the most recent race was also under 45 days, and the gap before that was over 45 days. The first start off a layoff is typically a conditioning start — the horse is not fully cranked. Trainers routinely use that first start to get the horse race-fit, then target the second start for the win effort. Research across multiple sample sets consistently shows second-start-off-layoff horses win at rates above their odds, particularly in claiming company where this trainer pattern is most commonly employed.