Reviewing Race Information
General information about the race
All of the general information about the race will be available at the header of the Racing Form. It will be located above other information, in larger fonts, separated from the body of the text by a line.
The first thing to ask yourself is why the horse is entering this race. Is it to win, prep, to get claimed, or some other reason?
For example, a horse returns from a layoff. There is rarely good reason for a top-caliber horse to deliver maximum effort in a comeback race that is designed solely as a prep. Likewise, when a claiming horse returns in an allowance or in a higher claiming race that he is worth, the intention is clear. The horse is in a race he is not qualified to win. The purpose is to provide exercise. Following the comeback prep, the horse may be lowered in class into a race where he belongs. Ask yourself why the trainer put the horse in this race.
Here are the common race types codes.
RACE TYPES (Quarter Horse and Mixed Breed)
| Race Type | Description | Race Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALW | ALLOWANCE | INV | INVITATIONAL |
| ALWFL | ALLOWANCE FINAL | MAT | MATURITY |
| AOC | SPEED INDEX OPTIONAL CLAIMING | MATFL | MATURITY FINAL |
| AWT | ALLOWANCE TRIAL | MCH | MATCH RACE |
| CAN | CANCELLED | MCL | MAIDEN CLAIMING |
| CHM | CHAMPIONSHIP | MCN | MATURITY CONSOLATION |
| CLM | CLAIMING | MDN | MAIDEN |
| CLS | CLAIMING STAKES | MDT | MAIDEN TRIAL |
| CLT | CLAIMING STAKES TRIAL | MOC | MAIDEN OPTIONAL CLAIMING |
| CON | CONSOLATION | MSA | MAIDEN STARTER ALLOWANCE |
| CST | CLAIMING STAKES/TRIAL | MTR | MATURITY TRIAL |
| DBY | DERBY | OCL | OPTIONAL CLAIMING |
| DBYFL | DERBY FINAL | SCN | STAKES CONSOLATION |
| DCN | DERBY CONSOLATION | SHP | STARTER HANDICAP |
| DTR | DERBY TRIAL | SOC | STARTER OPTIONAL CLAIMING |
| EXH | EXHIBITION | SPC | SPEED INDEX CONSOLATION |
| FCN | FUTURITY CONSOLATION | SPF | SPEED INDEX FINAL |
| FNL | FINAL | SPI | SPEED INDEX RACE |
| FTR | FUTURITY TRIAL | SPT | SPEED INDEX TRIAL |
| FUT | FUTURITY | STA | STARTER ALLOWANCE |
| FUTFL | FUTURITY FINAL | STK | STAKES |
| HCP | HANDICAP | STR | STAKES TRIAL |
| HDS | HANDICAP STAKES | TRL | TRIALS |
| IHS | INVITATIONAL HANDICAP STAKES | UNK | UNKNOWN RACE TYPE |
| INH | INVITATIONAL HANDICAP | WCL | WAIVER CLAIMING |
| INS | INVITATIONAL STAKES | ZRC | CANCELLED RACE |
The race number.
This will be located on the left-hand side of the header, in large font. Because most tracks run several races per day, this is used to distinguish between different races. It will typically be a number from one to ten.
Track name.
The track name will be in particularly large and bolded print, above all of the other information in the header, excluding the race number which will be to its left. Here’s a list of all tracks in the US.
Race conditions.
Underneath the track name, there will be approximately three lines worth of description. This will begin with the length of the race, the track record, the purse that goes to the winner. It will also list conditions that were necessary for the horses to qualify for the race. Race participants will often be limited by specifying the horses’ gender, age, and record. These class specifications will be listed in the race conditions. Alternatively, you will see an alpha-numeric code to the right of track name and above the race conditions. These codes are used to convey most of the information included in the race description. That makes it possible for experts to quickly scan the header for race information.
Track diagram.
On the far right-hand side of the header, you can find a picture of the course. This can be a meaningful tool, because some horses perform better on specific types of races. Also, pay attention to starts on doglegs that enter the main track. Inside lanes sometimes get pushed into the gap and have a hard time recovering.
Here’s a typical racetrack layout with poles and positions labelled.
Horse information
Directly under the track information you’ll find three columns of data about the horse. This includes identifying information for the race, pedigree, and average performance history.
Identifying information in far left column
You will find the horse’s race number in large print to the left of the body of the text. The first row of text will tell you the horse’s name and the second will tell you the owner’s name.
The third row indicates the color of the “silks” the horse will wear during the race. Silks are the uniform the jockey wears. They are unique to each owner at the track. Two horses with the same silks in a single race means the owner has two horses in that race.
The final line is the name of the horse’s jockey (e.g. Russells). Adjacent to the jockey’s name, you will find his statistics in parentheses. The first number is the Jockey’s total number of starts for the meet, followed by first, second, and third-place finishes. The final number in parenthesis is the jockey’s win percentage. Next to this, you may find in a separate pair of parenthesis the jockey’s races, first-place finishes, and win percentage during the past year.
Physical and pedigree information in the middle column
The first row is composed of an initial indicating color, a second initial indicating gender, and a third indicating age.
Horse color
The initials used to indicate color in the first line of the column are B for bay, Blk for black, Ch for chestnut, Dkb for dark bay, Br for brown, Gry for gray, and RA for roan.
Horse gender
The color initial will be followed with a second indicating the gender of the horse. These are as follows: C for colt, F for filly, G for gelding, M for mare, and R for ridgling.
Horse age
The final element in the first line is the horse’s age. It matters because older horses (4-year-olds and up) are more mentally and physically mature.
An example of how this I formatted is “4 (May),” where 4 is the age of the horse, and May is the month in which the horse is born. The age of a horse is measured not by the number of their birthdays, but rather by how many New Year’s Days they have seen. A horse born on December 31st will be considered one year old on January 1st.
The F means filly (female horse age 4 or younger). It is part of the following lettering: A= official age; S = sex; M = mare (female horse age 5 or older); F = filly (female horse age 4 or younger); H = horse (intact male age 5 or older); C = colt (intact male age 4 or younger); and G = gelding (castrated male, any age).
Pedigree
Lines 2-3 detail pedigree information. Pedigree can be important when figuring out if a horse can improve or not.
Sire (father) information
The second low lists the horse’s sire, his sire’s sire, and how much, the owner charges to stud the sire.
Dam (mother) information
The third line lists the mother of the horse and the horse’s maternal grandfather. Once a horse has compiled a racing record, his pedigree loses its importance. It then is only useful when a horse runs on a different surface for the first time or the distance is his first.
Breeder
The fourth line provides the name of the breeder.
Trainer
The final line includes the trainer’s name, with his win percentage formatted the same way fashion as the jockey. Pay attention to the trainer and be interested if the trainer wins with a first-time starter. With a horse who has been laid off. With a horse he has recently claimed. With a significant jockey switch. With a sharp drop in class. With a horse going a distance for the first time. With a horse who received unusual betting action.
Career averages on the far right column
To the left on the column will find in large print a letter and a number, indicating any medications the horse might be on and any weight that it might be carrying.
Next is the horse’s career statistics. The first number indicates total career starts, followed by first place, second, and third-place finishes.
To the right of this, you will see career earnings and the horse’s best Beyer Speed. The Beyer speed is a measure of a horses’ average speed relative to the average speed of the tracks it has run. For a $25,000 race average Beyer numbers would be in the low 90s, mid 80s for a $10,000 race, and 57 for a $2,500 race. Top horses might have Bayer numbers in the 120’s.
Next there are a handful of rows formatted in this fashion to indicate the horse’s performance under different circumstances and track conditions. From the top right down the rows represent the horse’s record on a dirt fast track, wet track, synthetic track, turf record, and the horses’ record with surfaces and distances (dst) similar to that of the race in question.
Next to the wet, turf, and distance symbols you will find a number in parenthesis known as the Tomlinson Rating. This indicates how well a horse performs on those types of tracks. A rating of 320 or more for wet turf or distance suggests that the horse will likely run particularly well on a wet track. For turf a ranking of 280 or more indicates that the horse has an advantage in the race.
Past Peformance (PPs)
Horse’s performance in recent races.
Underneath the general horse information you can find a list of the horse’s performances in earlier races. Each of these rows will begin with a date, identifying the race, followed by detailed and extensive information.
If a horse’s numbers don’t look great, try to determine if there were changes (good workouts, new trainer) that suggests he could improve. Similarly, do the numbers suggest he may get worse – has his workout pattern changed, are his numbers declining?
The more recent numbers give a better view of the horse’s form or physical condition. Anything older than 45 days doesn’t help much since horse’s go through cycles.
Identifying race information.
At the beginning of the row you will find the date of the race, an abbreviation indicating the track and the race number for that day. Surprisingly, the track (location) is important. “Horses for courses” is a common phrase – horses do prefer certain courses. They may win consistently on one track and lose every time on another.
This will follow with an abbreviation indicating the condition of the track. The final piece of information before fractional times the distance measured in furlongs.
Track condition abbreviations include fr for frozen, fst for fast, gd for good, hy for heavy, my for muddy, sl for slow, sly for sloppy, and wf. For wet-fast, etc.
Track Conditions
Turf Conditions:
HD – Hard – Surface is hard and horses do not have normal cushion of the course; frequently follows periods of drought and high temperatures.
FM – Firm – Equivalent to Fast on Dirt Track; course is dry and at peak efficiency.
GD – Good – The drying process continues, times improve and the track is approaching a FIRM condition. Fewer divots may be evident.
YL – Yielding – Usually following some wet weather; horses’ hooves dig up the course and divots are flying; times are slower
SF – Soft – Usually following prolonged wet weather; horses’ hooves sink in and dig up the course; times are considerably slower.
Dirt Conditions:
FT – Fast – Completely dry and at optimal efficiency.
WF – Wet Fast – Occurs immediately after a heavy rain; track has surface water on it, but the base is still solid, accounting for times similar to (or even faster than) a fast track.
SY – Sloppy – As the track continues to accumulate moisture, the base is still solid but water is beginning to seep into the base; SURFACE WATER IS EVIDENT.
MY – Muddy – Moisture has permeated the base of the track; times are somewhat slower and running tires the horses more.
SL – Slow – The racing surface has begun to dry out; the base is still soft, but surface drying is evident; times are generally slower than normal.
HY – Heavy – Similar to Muddy, track surface is deep and consistency is thick, an obvious slowing of times will be apparent as will the tiring of front runners.
GD – Good – The drying process continues, times improve and the track is approaching a FAST condition. Some flying dust may be evident.
FZ – Frozen – As a result of sustained low temperatures, ice particles have formed on the racing surface.
Note the symbol on the 2nd line between the distance and the times. That symbol indicates the race was run on their outer turf track. T indicates turf, a diamond indicates synthetic surface, and a X indicates off-turf, etc.
Also note the vertical line between 24Nov09 and 15Aug09. A single line indicates a layoff of 46 days to 364 days. A double line indicates a layoff of a year or longer.This is important because a layoff hints that the horse is recovering from some sort of problem.
Fractional times.
These give you a sense of the pace of the race. The first number is the leader’s time at a quarter of the distance of the course, the second at a half-mile, the third at three-fourths of a mile and the last number the leader’s final time. Times are formatted like “2:04 3” where “2” is a measure of minutes, “04” a measure of seconds, and “3” a measure of fifths of a second.
Some forms will have pace information here too. Look for runners that exceed par for the middle fraction as they tend to accumulate high win percentages.
Type of race
This is followed by the type of race – the age group of the race. These are sometimes hard to gauge but in general, the size of the purse gives a rough indication of the quality of the race.
Look for horses running against the grain – ones that are doing something different for one reason or another. You need to know the trainer and his strategies to guess why the change is being made.
Watch for drops in claiming classes. A trainer will lower a claiming horse in class for one of two reasons. He may be trying to maneuver the animal into a winning spot. Or else the horse may have such dire physical problems that the trainer is trying to lure somebody else into claiming him.
Beyers
After the times and race conditions, you’ll find a number indicating the horse’s Beyer’s speed. It will be colored green for turf races and blue for synthetic surfaces. It rarely indicates the winner but does help you eliminate horse’s that are too slow to win.
- Horses that run triple-digit Beyers are stakes horses
- Horses that run between 85 and 99 Beyers are allowance and optional claiming horses that can win a stakes race under optimum conditions.
- Horses that run between 70 and 84 Beyers are mid- to high-priced claiming horses.
- Horses that run between 55 and 69 are low- to mid-level claiming horses.
- Horses that run below 54 are low claimers and are often maidens that can’t run very fast.
Horse performance goes through cycles. Their Beyer will steadily improve and then, either with time off or not, it will drop and begin to cycle again. This will continue until the horse reaches older age and the Beyer begins to level off and stay fairly consistent (always lower than their peak, though).
The only way a trainer can prevent the bounce is by giving the horse enough time between starts to rest and regain strength (which typically takes about 6 weeks or longer). This is important to understand because a high Beyer may signal the peak of the cycle.
Beyer Speed Figures are a barometer of the quality of the races a horse runs. But any horse that wins is in good shape. Look for horses with lower Beyer times that win races. They have a chance of running even faster the next time out plus the public tends to discount low Beyer numbers.
Horse position
This is followed by the horse’s position at post in a format that lists the horses position, a slash, and the total number of horses in the race.
The horse’s gate position is followed by horse’s position at first call, second call, third call, stretch call, and finish. The exponent for the number indicates how many lengths (an approximate measure of the length of a horse) the horse was behind the race leader.
Lengths are generally estimated to be 8-feet each. It is also surmised that 5 lengths = 1 second. This however, doesn’t take into account a jockey pulling up when he realizes the race is lost so should be considered a very rough estimate only.
Note that the exponent shows how many lengths behind the leader. This differs from the race chart in which the exponent is the distance behind the horse directly ahead or behind him.
Position can reveal which horses are able or willing to pass other horses. Early Speed horses often are hesitant to pass leaving these feint-hearted souls to burn out early if multiple “E” horses duel against each other. You can easily spot horses that have no inclination to pass a competitor.
Position can of course, also reveal which horse likes to jump out in front. This horses do not like to ration their speed and although they may not win, their actions affect the running of any race they enter.
Jockey name, meds, weight carried, and odds
After the horse’s position at the finish is the jockey’s name followed by any horse’s medicine and weight carried, and equipment (12). When a small number follows the jockey’s name it indicates the apprentice allowance claimed. Apprentice riders are entitled to weight allowances of 3, 5, 7 or 10 pounds, based on experience and contract rules.
Medicine’s include L – Lasix, L1 – first time Lasix, LX – off Lasix, C – First time Bute, B -Bute, and A – Adjunct.
Weight carried is the weight of the rider and equipment (saddle, lead pads, etc.) and includes the apprentice allowance as a superscript number when an allowance is claimed. Weight is probably one of the most overrated of all handicapping factors.
For equipment, f The letter “f” indicates the horse wore front bandages. If the horse wore blinkers (to narrow the horse’s vision and concentrate his focus), the letter b would appear after the f (fb). r indicates the horse wore bar shoes (to correct a hoof problem). n indicates a nasal strip was worn.
#13 is the odds to $1 (*indicates betting favorite, e indicates coupled entry, f indicates horse was in the mutuel field). Odds higher than 10-1 suggest the horse may be overmatched.
Below the #6 marker is the speed rating and track variant. The first number is the speed rating, a comparison of this horse’s time with the best time at the distance at that track in the last three years, which is represented by the par value of 100. The second figure is the track variant, which shows how many points below par the times for all races at the distance on the same surface were that day.
#14, called the company line, lists the first three finishers; with weight carried and margins, and any comments. A runner whose name is italicized won his next start.
Works and trainer statistics
Works
At the bottom of the form are workout notes for the horse.
Workout Codes
- “b” means “breezing”
- “D” means “driving”
- “d” means worked around dogs (orange cones placed off the inside rail)
- “g” for worked from the starting gate
- “bg” means “breezing from the gate”
- “h” means “handily”
- “tr.t” for training track
However, clockers, who report the workout notes, are notoriously dishonest and most states do not regulate whether or not workout information is reported accurately. Hence, it’s best not to base any serious handicapping decisions on published workout information.
However, a horse in form will usually have a full-speed workout once a week (in addition to daily exercise). If they have not worked out in the last 7 days, their form should be suspect.
Trainer
The trainer statistics are grouped several ways. In the example above. trainer stats are grouped by Turf/Dirt surface, Route/Sprint distances, 31-60 days (horses starting with between 31 and 60 days rest since their last race), Sprint (less than 1 mile), etc. They could be grouped in other ways too like routes (races 1 mile and longer).
Three numbers are presented in parenthesis like:
17 .06 $0.47
The first number is the sample size or number of races. The second number is the percentage of wins. Finally, the last number is the return on investment for each $2 bet.
Note that the return on investment could be low because the trainer is not very good or because he is very good and his reputation causes the public to overbet his horses.
Using the Racing Form to Win
Read from the bottom up
Read performance from the bottom up and you’ll get a sense of the horse’s progression and the trainer’s intent. Trainers usually have a game plan that builds off the prior race.
Beat the odds.
When a horse is favored to win, the odds will be set up so that any bets on that horse won’t payout as much. Thus, you shouldn’t see yourself as betting for a horse, so much as you are betting against the odds makers. Use the Racing Form to try to predict when a horse is likely to do better than the odds makers believe. You have to shop around for odds that are too low.
Study the Beyer Speed Figure.
High Beyer Speed Figures, especially in recent races, is the standard measure for calculating a horses odds. However, if your objective is to beat the odds, you should be especially careful to observe reasons why the Beyer Speed Figure might be flawed. Did track conditions cause the horse to perform unusually poorly in a recent race? If so, the odds makers may very well be underestimating its chances. For this reason, speed numbers should always be evaluated in groups, and not individually.
Study the effectiveness of the horse’s trainer.
A good trainer might be able to take a horse with a mediocre past and encourage it to perform better. Studying the trainer is a good way to determine when a horse might outperform the odds.
Gauge the ability of the horse’s jockey.
Below the horse’s name in bold type is the name of its rider. The jockey’s statistics cover the same time frame as the trainer’s statistics.
Think about the course.
Historically, some horses have only performed well on specific courses. Review the horse’s performance at the track to see if it might have an advantage there. Also, consider whether the horse has performed well on similar types of courses and distances in the past.
Determine whether the horse has added medication.
Horses treated with Lasix for the first time often perform better than expected. This will be indicated by a large “L” next to the left of the horse’s average Beyer Speed Numbers. A horse that has just taken it for the first time (as opposed to one that has been on it) will be indicated with a white “L” in a black circle.
Try position handicapping.
One of the most complicated features of horse betting is ascertaining how a horse interacts with other horses. Does it want to try to stay in front or break out toward the end? Study the horse’s position relative to other horses on the track to ascertain its type and then consider how it might interact with the other types of horses in the race that day.
Embrace expert opinions.
“The Closer Look” section in the Racing Form is a brief narrative on each horse written by a professional handicapper. It often contains important pedigree data, clues on workout patterns, and insights on previous races.
Taking notes
There’s no better place to record notes than on the racing form. However, trip notes will certainly need to use some sort of abbreviation system. Here’s how Beyer does his:
Stages of the race
| Abbrev | Desc |
|---|---|
| G | The gate; anything that happens at the start of a race. |
| FT | First turn. |
| B | Backstretch. |
| T | Turn. |
| E | Entering the stretch. |
| S | Stretch. |
The pace
| Abbrev | Desc |
|---|---|
| Duel | A horse is fighting for the lead. |
| Stalk | A horse is sitting behind a duel for the lead. |
| Move | A horse accelerates strongly, in a way that almost makes his rivals look as if they are standing still. |
| MIHP | Move into hot pace. A horse makes a strong move, but does it at a time when the leaders are accelerating, too. |
| Inherit | A horse gets the lead by taking over from rivals who have collapsed. |
Types of trouble
| Abbrev | Desc |
|---|---|
| Slo | A horse breaks from the gate behind the field. |
| Rush | A horse rushes into contention suddenly after breaking slowly. |
| Steady | Mild trouble, caused by a lack of running room. |
| Check | Serious trouble that forces a jockey to stop his horse’s momentum. |
| Alter | A horse is forced to alter his course sharply. |
| NP | No push; the jockey is not asking his horse to run at some stage of a race. |
| Stiff | The jockey has not asked his horse to run at any stage of a race. |
| V | A horse is in heavy track without encountering actual interference. (For “vise.”) |
| GP | The opposite of “V”: A horse is in the clear with no rivals inside or outside him. |
Positions on the track
“Rail” denotes a horse on the innermost part of the track. Each successive horse width from the rail is described as the 2-path, the 3-path, and so on. A notation of “3T” would indicate the 3-path on the turn.
Track biases
| Abbrev | Desc |
|---|---|
| GR | Good rail. |
| GR+ | Very strong good rail. |
| BR | Bad rail. |
| BR+ | Very strong bad rail. |
| S | Speed-favoring track. |
| S+ | Very strong speed-favoring track. |
| c | Track that favors closers. |
