Pick Pony

Check out these little-known and often misunderstood horse racing facts.

Trip handicapping is the process of identifying horses that face difficulties during a race, affecting their final position. These incidents may not be reflected in the Past Performance statistics and can only be identified by watching the race.

Race information includes the track, date, time, wagers, etc. The elongated oval box is colored according to the track surface type. It includes the type of race, length, and race conditions. If the oval is green it was a turf race, if brown a dirt race, if blue a synthetic race.

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?

Current form refers to the horse’s physical condition. Class is the level of competition at which he has raced effectively. Speed is how fast the horse has run. Pace is the rate of speed at which the horse is most comfortable.