RACE PROGRAMS FROM TRACKMASTER

Handicapping Factors

Perhaps the most intimidating thing for handicapping newbies is learning to read the live racing program. Programs are a bettors handbook for that day’s racing card (available at the track and contains everything you need to know about each horse in a particular race and their past performances. There is a lot of information available and can be a lot to dissect for a new handicapper. But don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it the more you practice.



PRO TIP: Because of the abundance of important information, live racing programs are often printed in very tiny type. For those who need eyeglass readers, be sure to have them on hand!

Understanding Horse Information

• The horse we’re looking at is racing from post position #1 (the extreme inside), and is wearing saddle pad #1, which is RED.
• He is eligible to be claimed (purchased) for $12,500, which corresponds with the conditions of the race that we saw before.
• His morning line is 4-1. The morning line is the track oddsmaker’s prediction of the final odds, (remember, the actual odds change as you bet!) and can often be used to quickly determine what horses will likely be bet heavier than others.

• JUXASPORT has made $83,299 in 61 career races, winning 10 of them, and finishing “in the money” (top three) in 29 of them. He’s making his first start of 2013, but in 2012, he won 5 of 27 races, finished in the money in 11 of them, and earned $36,902.
• His lifetime mark—his fastest win—came as a four-year-old at Chester, a 5/8-mile track, winning in 1:52-4/5 on a fast track. Remember, nearly all races are a mile!

Reading Times in a Live Racing Program

• Better horses in higher classes tend to go faster miles, but that’s not always the case.
• The program shows the split (¼ mile, ½ mile, ¾ mile) and final (full mile) times for the leader in each race, as well as each horse’s individual final time and individual last quarter mile.
• Give extra consideration to horses that covered extra ground through the race, and sustained progress or held even late.
• ADVANCED: Often a telltale sign of a horse’s ability can be found in their final three-quarters time. Take the leader’s ¼-mile time (reported down to the fifth of a second), add one fifth of a second for each length the horse was behind at the ¼-mile chart call, and subtract that total number from the horse’s individual final time.

The Human Element

In addition to horse-related information, the live racing program will also provide information regarding who the driver or trainer is.

• Good trainers and good drivers consistently get good results.
• Drivers are nominated to a horse at time of entry, and if a driver is nominated on multiple horses, they choose which horse to drive.
• A horse that is partnered with a better driver from its last start can often experience an improved performance, as the talent of a driver in negotiating a favorable trip and sustaining speed is instrumental in a good performance. Watch for horses that were driven by drivers not in the top 5 in their last start, but driven by top 5 drivers in today’s race.
• In claiming races, when horses are claimed (purchased), they race for a different trainer after being claimed. If a horse is making its first or second start for a new trainer with strong statistics, give this horse special consideration, too.