Driving means that a horse is all out to win and under strong urging from its jockey. This term describes when both horse and rider are giving maximum effort to achieve the best possible finish.
Key Characteristics
When a horse is “driving,” it indicates the highest level of competitive effort where the jockey is actively encouraging the horse through various means such as hand riding, whip use, or vigorous urging. The horse is responding by extending itself fully rather than cruising or being held back.
Usage in Race Analysis
“Driving” appears frequently in race charts and past performance comments to describe a horse’s effort level during different parts of a race. For example, a horse might be described as “driving to the wire” when giving maximum effort in the final stages, or “driving between horses” when aggressively moving through traffic.
Context and Implications
This term helps handicappers understand whether a horse’s performance represented its true capability or if there was more left in reserve. A horse that was “driving” throughout a race and still finished strongly suggests good fitness and determination, while a horse that needed to be “driving” just to maintain position might indicate the horse was overmatched or not at peak form.