[PDF] Understanding. Daily Racing Form. Past Performances - Free Download PDF (2024)

Understanding Daily Racing Form Past Performances

March 29, 2008

Thoroughbred Ink

www.thoroughbredink.com

Using DRF Past Performances When I was at the National Handicapping Contest this year in Las Vegas (no I wasn’t a contestant, just a supporter) I was handicapping the races at Santa Anita when a gentleman behind me said, “Excuse me, this is embarrassing, I have been playing horses for 30 years and I don’t know what the dot in a square symbol means”. I told him that it was an inner dirt track, and more than likely was an Aqueduct (a New York race track) race (which it was). This is a regular occurrence when I am at an OTB (Off Track Betting) or at the track. I then thought about the fact that it was only a couple of years ago that I figured out what the “lollipop” symbol meant - a dead heat. It is not surprising that there is an awful lot of hit or miss on anything that has as much data as the DRF Past Performances. It is crammed full of critical data, and there is only so much room, making symbols and abbreviations a necessity. If horseplayers with 30 years of experience don’t know what certain symbols or abbreviations mean, how is a new player supposed to be able to understand the data? In many ways it is like using a computer software program like Microsoft Word - you can get along ok, but you know there are many things that the software will do but you just haven’t learned those features. As a computer trainer I routinely see people using what they know to get to where they want to be, except that it took them five times longer and it came out less than perfect - less than productive when one key command could have done the same thing. When we wrote this guide, we made a conscious decision to stick to the data and not get into how to use the data for handicapping. There are three skills that everyone needs to be a successful horse player: 1. Be able to completely understand the data. 2. Be able to accurately handicap the race. 3. Understand and use coherent risk/benefit wagering. This guide is designed to meet the first need, understanding the data, ALL the data. No two races are the same, so using a single data point or set on all of your race evaluations is like using a Crescent wrench as everything from a wrench to a hammer. Without all of the data you will miss tremendous opportunities. With the data you will be able to clearly understand the probable race scenarios, identify false favorites and will get to the point that you will know when your big longshot is actually very live. Copyright Notice Portions of this guide are copyrighted by Daily Racing Form, Inc. and Equibase Company. Reprinted with the permission of the copyright owner. Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the gracious assistance of the crowd over on DRF’s FormBlog. I would like to personally thank some of the individuals who gave us detailed reviews and suggestions - Dan, Alan, “C”, PGM, larryk, SR Vegas, Afi, AlHattab, Blue Horseshoe and a bunch of others. Thank You!

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Race Information Header

Santa Anita (3/29/2008)

The track and date of the past performances.

4

The race number.

Santa Anita

The race track.

Clm 40000 (40-35)

The race type and weight for price allowance.

About 6 1/2 Furlongs

The distance of the race.

(Turf)

The racing surface. The main track does not use a designation.

(1:11)

The track record for the distance and course.

CLAIMING $

The type of race.

Purse 38,000

The purse for the race.

(plus $4,560 CBOIF)

An addition to the purse for runners who are statebreds.

Downhill Turf for Four Year Olds and Up

Course description and age restriction.

Weight, 123 lbs.

The designated weight for the race.

Non-winners of a race...

The weight break condition for non-winners since Feb 1st.

Claiming Price $40,000

The claiming price for runners in this race.

... if for $35,000, allowed 2 lbs.

A weight break that requires a reduction in claiming price.

(Rail at 8 feet)

The position of the rail from the interior of the turf course.

Course Diagram

The diagram of the course being run.

Race Header There is a wealth of information in the race header, and it is often overlooked by handicappers. It will tell you not only the fundamentals of the race (surface, distance, etc.) but will also give you the specific conditions and restrictions that apply to the race and the actual purse money as well as the rail setting for turf courses. Rail Settings Because 1,000 pound horses wearing metal shoes are very hard on the grass surface, the track superintendent will move the rail in or out to keep the horses from wearing out a specific patch of turf. Generally the closer the rail is to its inside limit the faster the course. Remember too that when they move the rail out there is less width on the course, so the runners have a narrower track on which to run and pass.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Basic Runner Information

5

The program number for the runner.

Bettin an Sweatin

The name of the runner.

Own: Mike Pegram

The owner of the runner.

Green

The saddle cloth color.

Red, Red “MP” on Yellow Ball, Yellow

The stable’s silk colors and design worn by the jockey.

ESPINOZA V

The jockey (in this case Victor Espinoza).

(181 25 16 26 .14)

The jockey’s meet stats (starts, wins, places, shows, win rate).

2007: (1162 185 .16)

The jockey’s number of races, wins and win rate for 2007.

Detailed Runner Information

Ch.

The color of the horse.

c.

The sex of the runner.

4

The age of the runner.

(May)

The birth month of the runner.

KEESEP05 $150,000

The sale location, month, and year with the price paid at the sale.

Sire: E Dubai (Mr. Prospector) $15,000

The sire, (his sire) and the sire’s current stud fee.

Dam: Chatta Code (Lost Code)

The dam, (and her sire).

Br: ClassicStar (Ky)

The breeder and the state where the runner was foaled.

Tr: Hofmans David

The name of the trainer.

(52 6 7 2 .12)

The trainer’s meet stats (starts, win, place, show, win rate).

2007:(218 20 .09)

The trainer’s number of races, wins and win rate for 2007.

Post vs. Program Numbers The post number and the program numbers are NOT necessarily one and the same, and is a great way to end up with a 50/1 shot you had no intention of betting. The number you wager on is the PROGRAM NUMBER, not the post number. If you think about it for a minute this makes sense - if the 3 horse scratches they are not going to leave the 3 post empty, they will slide everyone over one gate, so now the 4 is running from the 3 post, the 5 from the 4, etc. Also when you have coupled entries, there is no 1A post. How do they determine the post position initially for a race? They draw small “pills” with the post position engraved on them horse by horse. This is called the “post draw”. So when your horse ends up in the 10 gate, this is why he got there. DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Horse Color Abbreviations

Horse Sex Abbreviations

b blk br ch dkb gr/ro

c f g h m r

Bay Black Brown Chestnut Dark Bay Gray or Roan

Colt (male horse less than 5 years old) Filly (female horse less than 5 years old) Gelding (neutered male) Horse (male horse 5 years old or older) Mare (female horse 5 years old or older) Ridgling (male horse with undescended testicl*(s))

Country Codes

Horses that are foaled outside of the United States and Canada will have a country code in parentheses to the right of their name. In the cases above, Ksayban is from France and Meer Kat from Ireland. There may be times when you see a horse that has raced exclusively overseas but has no country code - that is because they were foaled in the U.S. or Canada. A good example of this is Tomcito, a horse foaled in the U.S. but raced in Peru.

Country Codes ALG ARG AUS AUT BHR BAR BEL BOL BRZ CEY CHI CHN COL CRI CRO CUB CYP CZE DEN DOM ECU EGY SLV FIN FR GEO GER GB GR GTM

Algeria Argentina Australia Austria Bahrain Barbados Belgium Bolivia Brazil Ceylon Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Finland France Georgia Germany Great Britain (GB) Greece Guatemala

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

HOL HK HUN IND NDO IRA IRE ISR ITY JAM JPN KAZ KEN KOR LEB LIB LUX MAL MTA MAU MEX MDA MOR NZ NOR PAK PAN PRY PER PHI

Holland (Netherlands) Hong Kong Hungary India Indonesia Iran Ireland Israel Italy (Ity) Jamaica Japan (Jpn) Khazakhstan Kenya Korea Lebanon Libya Luxemborg Malaysia Malta Mauritius Mexico Moldavia Morocco New Zealand Norway Pakistan Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines

POL POR PR QA RUM RUS KSA SVK SVN SAF SPA SUD SWE SWI THA TRI TUN TUR UKR UAE URU VEN ZIM

Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Rumania Russia Saudi Arabia Slovak Republic Slovenia South Africa Spain Sudan Sweden Switzerland Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay Venezuela Zimbabwe

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Horse Ages and Birth Months Horses in the northern hemisphere (North America, Europe, Japan, China, etc.) are foaled from January to June, where southern hemisphere horses (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, etc.) are foaled from July to December. For the purpose of determining age of the thoroughbred, the date of birth of a thoroughbred is deemed to be January 1 of the year of foaling for the northern hemisphere and July 1 for the southern hemisphere. Major Horse Auction Venues KEE OBS BAR EAS

Keeneland (Lexington, KY) Ocala Breeders Sale (Ocala, FL) Barretts Equine Limited (Pomona, CA) Fasig-Tipton (Timonium, MD)

FTK SAR TT

Fasig-Tipton (Lexington, KY) Fasig-Tipton (Saratoga Springs, NY) Tattersalls Limited (UK)

Runner Records

Blinkers ON/OFF

The runner is now wearing blinkers, a change from their last race.

L 119

The runner is using Lasix and is assigned 119 pounds.

Life 4 1 1 0, $29,000, 82

The lifetime record, total earnings, and highest lifetime Beyer.

2008 2 0 0 0, $800, 66

The 2008 record, total earnings, and highest Beyer for the year.

2007 2 1 1 0, $28,200, 82

The 2007 record, total earnings, and highest Beyer for the year.

SA 2 0 1 0, $3,400, 66

The record at Santa Anita for the surface, earnings, and highest Beyer.

D.Fst 0 0 0 0, $0, -

The dirt record on fast tracks with earnings, and highest Beyer.

Wet (434) 0 0 0 0, $0, -

The wet track record with (Tomlinson Rating), earnings, and highest Beyer.

Synth 3 1 1 0, $28,000, 82

The synthetic track record with earnings, and highest Beyer.

Turf (312) 1 0 0 0, $400, 52

The turf track record with (Tomlinson Rating), earnings, and highest Beyer.

Dist (406) 1 0 1 0, $25,200, 82

The record at the distance with (Tomlinson Rating), earnings, and highest lifetime Beyer.

Section Symbols

Designates first time Lasix usage.

Designates regular Lasix usage.

Designates regular usage of Lasix and Butazolidin.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Tomlinson Rating The brainchild of Lee Tomlinson, Tomlinson ratings assess a horse’s likely aptitude for performing on turf courses, on off tracks (muddy, sloppy, slow and wet-fast) and at various distances. They are a compilation of the racing record of the sire, grandsire and damsire for these conditions. They range from 0 (very poor) to 480 (outstanding). They are extremely useful for first time runners on a new surface and/or a new distance. Here is a basic interpretation of the Tomlinson rating numbers: 400-480 300-399 200-299 100-199 0-99

Top notch performance at the distance or on the surface. Excellent performance at the distance or on the surface. Fair to good performance at the distance or on the surface. Probably not the distance or surface of choice. Definitely not the distance or surface of choice.

Remember that these ratings are guides, many times sires that are known to produce sprinters will have progeny who can make route distances, and sires that never won on the turf will have progeny who love the turf. The ratings are the best guess as to how the runner will perform in a new environment. Sprints and Routes Sprints are races less than one mile. Routes are races of a mile or more. Routes will generally pay 10-20% more in purses at a given level than sprints.

Apprentice Weight Allowances Apprentice jockeys get varying weight allowances for their first year riding. Traditionally it is ten pounds until their fifth winner, then seven pounds until their 35th winner, and then five pounds for the remainder of the year. The specific allowance will be noted next to the weight as shown below:

Synthetic Track Surfaces The original theory behind the use of synthetic surfaces at horse tracks was twofold, 1) To reduce the number of injuries to the horses and 2) To provide an all weather, reduced maintenance running surface. The jury is still out on the effectiveness of the synthetics in reducing injuries, but they have (with the exception of the Winter 2008 problems at Santa Anita) been effective in conducting races in wet conditions. Synthetic Track Brands Equitrack - the first of the synthetic track surfaces, originally installed at Remington Park, it is not currently in use at any track in North America. Polytrack - the next generation of synthetic track surface, it is in use at Del Mar, Keeneland, Turfway Park, Woodbine and Arlington Park. It is also used extensively in the UK. It is the slowest of the surfaces, and tends to favor turf horses. Cushion Track - has a checkered track record, flawless at Hollywood Park and a disaster at Santa Anita (the only two tracks that use it). It is the fastest of the synthetic surfaces. Pro-Ride - was developed in Australia and has not been installed outside of Australia and New Zealand. They did use their product to reformulate the track surface at Santa Anita with the existing Cushion Track. Tapeta Footings - probably the truest playing surface, it is currently installed at Presque Isle, Golden Gate and Fair Hill, and does not seem to receive many complaints from trainers, jockeys or horseplayers. SafeTrack - the newest of the synthetics, it is currently installed only at the Ocala Training Center. It appears to play alot like Tapeta. Note: Although they play extremely differently, DRF lumps all synthetics into the same category in the runner records. DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Race Data and Conditions

2Mar08-8SA

The date (2Mar08), race (-8) and place of the race (SA).

fm

The track condition, in this case the turf was firm.

*6½f

The distance of the race, in this case about 6½ furlongs.

T in a circle 3

3

The surface the race was run on, in this case turf. 4

:21 :43 1:06 1:13

The fractions for the lead horse, with the last time the time of the winner.

What was MY horse’s time? The only time for the race is the winner’s time, in this case a time of 1:13 flat. You then need to know how far behind the winner your horse finished (take a look at the Running Lines section). In this case he finished 4 lengths behind the winner. For each length behind add 1/5 of a second. So our runner above ran approximately 1:13 and 4/5 seconds to the winner’s 1:13 flat.

Racing Surface Condition - Dirt

Racing Surface Condition - Turf

fr fst gd hy my sl sly wf

fm gd hd hy sf yl

Frozen Fast Good Heavy Muddy Slow Sloppy Wet-Fast

Firm Good Hard Heavy Soft Yielding

Note: an “s” after the track condition indicates that the track has been sealed.

Sealing the Track The “sly” with the superscript “s” indicates that the track was sloppy and had been sealed. The asterisk before the distance indicates that it is “about” that distance. The actual distance is either lesser or greater than 7.5 furlongs.

What does “sealing” the track mean? A sealed track is a dirt track that has been packed down. Dry tracks are sealed so that water runs off the track, reducing the amount of rain that is absorbed into the track. Wet tracks are sealed to provide a safe and even racing surface. A sealed track is designated by a small “s” immediately after the track condition.

Turf Chutes The use of a chute on a turf course is identified by a “+” sign after the final running time as indicated below (after the 1:44).

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Fractional Times and Points of Call The Past Performances list the points of call and fractional times for each race. This is confusing because the fractional time listed is for the horse that was leading at that point, and the points of call are different for each distance. They are NOT tied together, that is the point of call is not necessarily where the fractional time is captured. To determine the actual time for you horse, you can use the 1 length = 1/5 of a second at those points of call that are the same, for example on 6F races you could calculate the fractions for your horse at the 1/4 and 1/2 calls, but not the “stretch” call as it does not correspond to the 5/8 fractional time. Here are the points of call and fractional times for the most common distances in North America:

Distance 3.5F 4.0F 4.5F 5.0F 5.5 6.0F 6.5F 7.0F 7.5F Mile 1 Mile, 40 Yards 1 Mile, 70 Yards 1 1/16 Miles 1 1/8 Miles 1 3/16 Miles 1 1/4 Miles 1 3/8 Miles 1 1/2 Miles 1 5/8 Miles 1 3/4 Miles 1 7/8 Miles 2 Miles

1st Start Start Start Start Start Start Start Start Start 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/2 1/2 1/2

2nd 1/4 1/4 1/4 3/16 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 Mile Mile Mile

Points of Call and Fractional Times Points of Call 3rd 4th 5th Stretch Finish Stretch Finish Stretch Finish 3/8 Stretch Finish 3/8 Stretch Finish 1/2 Stretch Finish 1/2 Stretch Finish 1/2 Stretch Finish 1/2 Stretch Finish 3/4 Stretch Finish 3/4 Stretch Finish 3/4 Stretch Finish 3/4 Stretch Finish 3/4 Stretch Finish 3/4 Stretch Finish Mile Stretch Finish Mile Stretch Finish 1 1/4 Stretch Finish 1 3/8 Stretch Finish 1 1/2 Stretch Finish 1 5/8 Stretch Finish 1 3/4 Stretch Finish

Fractional Times 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2

1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 Mile 1 1/4 1 1/4 1 1/2

3/8 3/8 1/2 1/2 5/8 5/8 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 Mile Mile Mile Mile 1 1/4 1 1/4 1 1/2 1 3/4 1 3/4

Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish Finish

Layoff Symbols When you see one of these symbols over a race date, they mean that the horse has been on a layoff since that date, that is they were either hurt or needed a rest. The single line indicates a layoff of 46 days to 364 days in length.

The double line indicates a layoff of a year or longer.

Here is an example of what it looks like in the actual Past Performance:

This runner actually had two layoffs, the first began on January 6th, 2007 and ended on March 31st, 2007. He has not raced since, so he earns the double line long layoff lines.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Racing Surface Symbols Designates a race on a synthetic race surface. Designates a race on grass. Designates a left hand course (counter clockwise). This is used for foreign races only. Designates a right hand course (clockwise). This is used for foreign races only. Designates a straight course. Designates a race on the inner dirt track. Designates a race on the inner turf track. Indicates a race that was originally scheduled for the turf, but was run on the main track due to the condition of the turf course (usually rain).

Restriction and Condition Symbols Designates a race restricted to fillies and/or mares. Designates a race restricted to statebreds. Designates a race restricted to three year olds and up. Designates a race restricted to four year olds and up. Designates a race restricted to nonwinners of 1 race other than maiden, claiming or starter events. Designates a race restricted to nonwinners of 2 races other than maiden, claiming or starter events. Designates a race restricted to nonwinners of 3 races other than maiden, claiming or starter events. Designates a race restricted to nonwinners of 1 race in the last year. Designates a race restricted to nonwinners of 2 races lifetime. Designates a race restricted to of nonwinners of a stated amount of money during the previous year . Designates a restricted stakes race, for example the “Sunshine Millions”, a series of stakes races restricted to California and Florida Breds held at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park every January.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Race Distances Miles

Furlongs

Feet

Yards

Meters

1/8 1/4 3/8 1/2 9/16 5/8 11/16 3/4 13/16 7/8 15/16 1 1 1/16 1/18 1 3/16 1 1/4 1 3/8 1 1/2 1 5/8 1 3/4

1 2 3 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 11 12 13 14

660 1320 1980 2640 2970 3300 3630 3960 4290 4620 4950 5280 5610 5940 6270 6600 7260 7920 8580 9240

220 440 660 880 990 1100 1210 1320 1430 1540 1650 1760 1870 1980 2090 2200 2420 2640 2860 3080

201 402 603 804 905 1006 1106 1206 1307 1408 1508 1609 1709 1810 1910 2011 2212 2413 2614 2815

Oddball Distances Because of the track size and configuration, some tracks have unusual distances. The two most common are one mile and 40 yards (designated as 140) and one mile and 70 yards (designated as 170). An asterisk (*) before the distance is used to denote an “about distance”. So a race that is about 6 1/2 furlongs is designated *6 1/2.

Track Size and Turns The actual size of the race track varies widely from small courses (also called “bull rings”) of 5/8 of a mile (like Timonium and Fairplex) to gigantic Belmont Park (known as “Big Sandy”) that is a mile and a half oval. The effect on racing is significant, the width and size of the course many times dictates the running style of the horses. You will see comment about horses that have yet to “make it around two turns”. At Belmont, the minimum distance to make a race two turns is a mile and a half! Here are the sizes of some of the major tracks in the United States: Track

Main Track

Stretch Length

Turf Track

Aqueduct Arlington Belmont Calder Churchill Downs Del Mar Gulfstream Hollywood Keeneland Santa Anita Saratoga

1 1/8 Mile Oval1 1 1/8 Mile Oval 1 1/2 Mile Oval 1 Mile Oval 1 Mile Oval 1 Mile Oval 1 1/8 Mile Oval 1 1/8 Mile Oval 1 1/16 Mile Oval 1 Mile Oval 1 1/8 Mile Oval

1155.5 Feet 1049 Feet 1097 Feet 990 Feet 1234.5 Feet 919 Feet 898 Feet 991 Feet 1174 Feet 990 Feet 1144 Feet

7 Furlongs, 43 Feet Oval 1 Mile Oval 1 5/16 Mile, 27 Feet Oval2 7 Furlongs Oval 7 Furlongs Oval 7 Furlongs Oval 1 Mile Oval 1 Mile, 145 Feet Oval 7.5 Furlong Oval 7 Furlongs Oval 1 Mile, 98 Feet Oval3

1 2 3

Aqueduct has two dirt tracks, the main track and an inner track that is a one mile oval. Belmont Park has two turf courses, the Widener, (the main turf track), and an inner turf course that is 1 3/16 miles, 103 feet. Saratoga has two turf tracks, the Mellon Turf (the main turf track), and an inner turf track that is 7 Furlongs, 304 Feet.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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North American Track Abbreviations AIK AJX ALB ANF AP AQU ARP ASD ATH ATL ATO BCF BEL BEU BF BIR BKF BM BMF BOI BOW BRD BRN BRO CAM CBY CAS CD CHA CHL CLM CLS CNL CPW CRC CT CWF DAY DED DEL DEP DET DG DMR DUN DUQ DXD ELK ELP ELY EMD EMT EQ EQB EUR EVD FAI FAR FAX FE FER FG FH FL FLG FMT FNO FON FP FPL FPX FTP FX GBF GCF GF GG GIL GLD

AIKEN AJAX DOWNS ALBUQUERQUE ANTHONY DOWNS ARLINGTON PARK AQUEDUCT ARAPAHOE PARK ASSINIBOIA DOWNS ATLANTA ATLANTIC CITY HORsem*n'S ATOKAD DOWNS BROWN COUNTY FAIR BELMONT PARK BEULAH PARK BROCKTON FAIR BIRMINGHAM TURF CLUB BLACK FOOT BAY MEADOWS BAY MEADOWS FAIR LES BOIS PARK(BOI) -Boise,ID BOWIE BLUE RIBBON DOWNS HARNEY COUNTY FAIR BROOKHILL FARM CAMDEN CANTERBURY PARK CASSIA COUNTY FAIR CHURCHILL DOWNS CHARLESTON CHARLOTTE CLEMMONS COLUMBUS COLONIAL DOWNS CHIPPEWA DOWNS CALDER RACE COURSE CHARLES TOWN RACES & SLOTS CENTRAL WYOMING FAIR DAYTON DELTA DOWNS DELAWARE PARK DESERT PARK DETROIT RACE COURSE COCHISE COUNTY FAIR DEL MAR GREENELEE COUNTY FAIR DU QUOIN DIXIE DOWNS ELKO COUNTY FAIR ELLIS PARK WHITE PINE RACING EMERALD DOWNS EMMETT EQUIBASE EQUIBASE MEDIA PP'S EUREKA EVANGELINE DOWNS FAIR HILL NORTH DAKOTA HORSE PARK FAIRFAX FORT ERIE FERNDALE FAIR GROUNDS FAR HILLS FINGER LAKES FLAGSTAFF FAIR MEADOWS FRESNO FONNER PARK FAIRMOUNT PARK FAIR PLAY PARK FAIRPLEX PARK FORT PIERRE FOXFIELD GREAT BARRINGTON FAIR GILA COUNTY FAIR GREAT FALLS GOLDEN GATE FIELDS GILLESPIE COUNTY FAIR GREAT LAKES DOWNS

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

GLN GN GP GPR GRP GRA GRM GS GV HAW HIA HOL HOO HOU HPO HACF HST IND ING JRM KAM KD KEE KIN KSP LA LAD LBG LBT LEV LEX LNN LRL LS MAF MAL MAN MAR MC MD MDA MED MID MIL MNR MOF MON MOR MPM MTH MTP NMP NP OKR ONE OP OSA OTC OXM PEN PHA PIC PID PIM PLA PLN PM PMT POD PRM PRV PW QBY RDM RET RKM RIL RD RP

GLYNDON GRAND NATIONAL GULFSTREAM PARK GRANDE PRAIRIE GRANTS PASS GREEN ACRES GREAT MEADOW GARDEN STATE PARK GENESEE VALLEY HAWTHORNE HIALEAH PARK HOLLYWOOD PARK HOOSIER PARK SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK HORsem*n'S PARK HUMBOLDT COUNTY FAIR HASTINGS RACECOURSE INDIANA DOWNS INGLESIDE JEROME COUNTY FAIR KAMLOOPS KENTUCKY DOWNS KEENELAND KIN PARK KALISPELL LOS ALAMITOS LOUISIANA DOWNS LETHBRIDGE LAUREL BROWN RACETRACK LITTLE EVERGLADES LEXINGTON LINCOLN STATE FAIR LAUREL PARK LONE STAR PARK MARIAS FAIR MALVERN MANOR DOWNS MARLBORO MILES CITY MARQUIS DOWNS MELVILLE DISTRICT AGRIPAR MEADOWLANDS MIDDLEBURG MILLARVILLE MOUNTAINEER CASINO RACETRACK MOHAVE COUNTY FAIR MONKTON MORVEN PARK MT. PLEASANT MEADOWS MONMOUTH PARK MONTPELIER NORTHAMPTON NORTHLANDS PARK OAK RIDGE ONEIDA COUNTY FAIR OAKLAWN PARK OAK TREE AT SANTA ANITA OCALA TRAINING CENTER OXMOOR PENN NATIONAL PHILADELPHIA PARK PICOV DOWNS PRESQUE ISLE DOWNS PIMLICO PLAYFAIR PLEASANTON PORTLAND MEADOWS PINE MTN-CALLOWAY GARDEN POCATELLO DOWNS PRAIRIE MEADOWS CROOKED RIVER ROUNDUP PERCY WARNER QUEENSBURY DOWNS RED MILE RETAMA PARK ROCKINGHAM PARK RILLITO RIVER DOWNS REMINGTON PARK

RPD RUI RUP SA SAC SAF SAN SAR SDY SH SHD SHW SJ SJD SND SOL SON SOP SPT SR SRP STK STN STP SUD SUF SUN TAM TDN TGD TIL TIM TP TRY TS TUP UN UNI WDS WIL WMF WNT WPR WRD WO WTS WW WYO YAV YD YKT YM ZIA

ROSSBURN PARKLAND DOWNS RUIDOSO DOWNS MINIDOKA COUNTY FAIR SANTA ANITA PARK SACRAMENTO GRAHAM COUNTY FAIR SANDOWN PARK SARATOGA SANDY DOWNS STRAWBERRY HILL SHENNANDOAH DOWNS SHAWAN DOWNS APACHE COUNTY FAIR SAN JUAN DOWNS SUNFLOWER SOLANO SANTA CRUZ COUNTY FAIR SOUTHERN PINES SPORTSMAN'S PARK SANTA ROSA SUNRAY PARK STOCKTON STONEYBROOK AT FIVE POINTS STAMPEDE PARK SUN DOWNS SUFFOLK DOWNS SUNLAND PARK TAMPA BAY DOWNS THISTLEDOWN TIOGA DOWNS TILLAMOOK COUNTY FAIR TIMONIUM TURFWAY PARK TRYON TROUT SPRINGS TURF PARADISE EASTERN OREGON LIVESTOCK UNIONVILLE THE WOODLANDS WILLOWDALE STEEPLECHASE WESTERN MONTANA FAIR WINTERTHUR WHITE PINE RACEWAY WILL ROGERS DOWNS WOODBINE WAITSBURG RACE TRACK WALLA WALLA WYOMING DOWNS YAVAPAI DOWNS YELLOWSTONE DOWNS YORKTON EXH. ASSOC YAKIMA MEADOWS ZIA PARK

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Race Types There are a wide variety of race classifications, ranging from $2,000 claimers to $6,000,000 stakes. Along with the basic classification, there are many races that have conditions and restrictions for the entrants. Maiden Any horse who has not won a race is known as a maiden. There are three types of races that are restricted to maidens, Maiden Special Weight, Maiden Claiming, and Maiden Optional Claiming. Generally, top maidens run in Maiden Special Weight mid-level maidens run in Maiden Optional Claiming races and lesser maidens run in Maiden Claiming. That being said, obviously an $8K MSW horse from Zia Park will probably not fair well against $80K maiden claimers at Santa Anita. The purses for Maiden Special Weight races range from $8,000 to $80,000. Maiden claiming races set claiming prices from $2,000 to $100,000. Let’s look at how the race is noted in the past performance: This designates the race as a Maiden Special Weight with a purse of $61,000. This designates the race as a Maiden Optional Claiming race with a claiming price of $30,000. The “F” symbol indicates that the race is restricted to fillies. This designates the race as a Maiden Claiming race with a claiming price of $35,000. The “S” symbol indicates that the race is restricted to statebreds. Can a maiden run in allowance or stakes races? Yes, if they meet the conditions and restrictions. It is not common, but it does happen, especially with two year olds. Claiming The majority of races at a track are claiming races (generally about 50% of all races). These are races where the entrants are available to be purchased or “claimed”. The buyer must put in their claim BEFORE the race. The previous owner gets any purse money won. The new owner gets the horse for the claiming price - even if the horse is injured or dies. This is also known as “running for a tag”. Here is the standard line in the Past Performance for a claiming race: In this case the claiming price is $7,500. Claiming races can also have restrictions and conditions. One of the conditions you may see is this designation for a weight allowance for a reduction in the claiming price in the running lines: This is a $50K maiden claimer that offers a reduction in weight for a reduction in the claiming price - in this case $5,000 per pound to a maximum of 2 pounds. So if you reduce the claiming price from $50K to $40K your horse could run at 119 pounds, where the others would have to carry 121 pounds. A subset of Claiming races are Optional Claimers. In these races the owner can choose to enter the runner for a claim or just run for the purse. They are in effect a hybrid between Claiming and Allowance races. An “N” after the race type in the PP’s indicates that they ran under the allowance conditions: Here is the standard line for an Optional Claiming race in the Past Performance: In this case it is an optional claiming race with a claiming price of $75,000 but is restricted to 4 year olds and up and has an N1X condition. Many assume that claiming races are always the “bottom” of the rung of race horses. Many times this is true, but an OC 75K is going to have some tough horses and they are going to be better than most allowance races. Allowance The next level of races are allowance races. In these races the horses run for a purse and cannot be purchased as in a claiming race. Generally they have restrictions (statebred, fillies, etc.) and/or conditions (N1X, N2X, etc.). A “C” after the purse indicated that there are multiple conditions, an “NC” indicates no conditions. Here is the race line for an allowance race in the Past Performance: This race is a $45,000 allowance race for 3 year olds and up who are non winners of two races lifetime.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Many allowance races offer weight breaks if the horse hasn’t won since a certain date or has not earned a certain threshold number of dollars. It is always important to read the restrictions and conditions of an allowance race carefully. Starter Allowances and Starter Handicaps Starter Allowances and Starter Handicaps are races that are open to the graduates of lower level maiden claiming races, or horses who have never run in a claiming race greater than $X and have never won a race other than..., or who have never run in a claiming race greater than $X. They are listed as Allowance races with a suffix of an “s” like this: Alw 40000s. The 40000 indicates that the race is for runners who broke their maiden for a claiming price of $40,000 or less. It is an “N1X Lite” that allows lesser horses to run without running the risk of being claimed. Starter Handicaps are like Starter Allowance races except that the horses are individually weighted to create an even opportunity to win for all runners. This is a the header for a $40,000 Starter Allowance race. Remember, the purse for this race, unlike other allowance races is not $40,000, it is actually $26,000. So don’t use the $40K figure in equivalency. Stakes There are two varieties of stakes races - local stakes offered by the track, where the purses can vary from $4,000 to $200,000 and often are restricted to statebreds. Here is the race line for a restricted stakes race in the Past Performances: This is a $75,000 local stakes, the “Turf Paradise Handicap” that is restricted to 4 year olds and up. The second type of stakes is a Graded stakes. These races cannot have any restrictions other than for sex or age. They are assigned gradings as Grades 1, 2 and 3, with Grade 1 being the top stakes run (Kentucky Derby, Breeders Cup, etc.). Graded Stakes designations began in 1973 and the grading and assignment of races is controlled by the Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. They range in purses from $150,000 to $6,000,000. Here is a race designation line for a graded stakes race in the Past Performance: This designates a Grade 1 stakes, the “Cigar Mile” for 3 year olds and up.

Handicap System When a race is listed as a “Handicap”, the weight to be carried in the race is assigned by the track Racing Secretary based upon the performance of each horse. The Experimental Free Handicap, published annually by The Jockey Club since 1935, is a weightbased assessment of the previous year's leading two-year-olds, with the weights compiled for a hypothetical race at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. This year's weighting committee of racing secretaries was composed of Ben Huffman of Churchill Downs, P.J. Campo of the New York Racing Association and Thomas S. Robbins of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. The committee weighted a total of 105 males and 99 fillies. Eligible for weighting were all two-year-olds of 2007 that finished among the top four in graded or other unrestricted races with an added value of at least $75,000, run in the continental United States. Statebred Programs Statebred programs were created to promote the horse racing business within the state. To that end they created two special inducements for statebred runners - races that are restricted to statebred horses, and purse enhancements (kickers) that can be as much as 25% of the purse. The added kicker is a very big deal to owners and trainers who can win more money by running Cal breds in California or New York breds in New York without running against a higher level of company. Race Equivalency One of the toughest things for new horseplayers to understand is what race is “better” than another race. Are allowances always better than claiming races? No. Well stakes races must be better than allowance races, right? Usually yes, but not always. Okay then how in the world can you compare races? I use the purse money as my standard for determining equality of races. Trainers will always try to run in a race where they can make maximum return in the easiest race they can find. Here is a sample card from Santa Anita with the race types and purses: Race 1: Claiming $40,000 - Purse $38,000 Race 3: Local Stakes $75,000 - Purse $75,000

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

Race 2: Maiden Claiming $50,000 - Purse $29,000 Race 4: Maiden Claiming $32,000 - Purse $20,000

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Race 5: MSW $50,000 - Purse $50,000 Race 7: Allowance $61,000 - Purse $61,000 Race 9: Grade 2 Stakes - Purse $200,000

Race 6: Starter Allowance $40,000 - Purse $26,000 Race 8: Claiming $16,000 - Purse $21,000 Race 10: Maiden Claiming $50,000 - Purse $27,000

So the maiden claimer for $50K pays less than the $40K claimer. Trainers and owners pay attention to the purse size, if you do the same you can easily approximate the equivalency of two races. Foreign Races Very few handicappers can get a handle on foreign past performances, and there are a number of reasons for this failure: The race classifications are different from those used in the U.S. and Canada, which generally results in confusion about the class level that the runner was competing against. Exactly how much is 28,000 Dinars? Is a maiden auction race better or worse than a maiden stakes? Is a Group 1 in Denmark the same level as a Group 1 is France or Italy? The Europeans and Australia/New Zealand tend to run in a different style, especially on turf, where the jockeys tend to all go at about the same pace until they hit the stretch and then it is a cavalry charge to the finish line. The races in South America are an eclectic amalgam of U.S. and European racing styles - in fact many have both left AND right handed tracks in the same country (as does Japan). There are a large number of associations and regulatory bodies, each with their own version of race classifications, making a stab at calculating the class equivalency dicey at best. European Group Races In 1970 the racing bodies of Great Britain, France and Ireland formed the European Pattern Committee to standardize the classifications and conditions of major stakes races, much like the United States and Canada did with graded stakes. Italy and Germany joined the association two years later. The races they govern are called “Group” races, and like the American grades have three levels (Group 1, 2, and 3). The committee that oversees the stakes races is comprised of a representative of Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy. The basic rules for the Group classification as set forth by the committee: GENERAL RULES FOR RACES IN THE EUROPEAN PATTERN Every race in the European Pattern must conform to the following rules: 1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6.

It should have no indigenous conditions. It must have a permanent element in the title, to which a prefix or suffix may be added. It must justify its grouping by the quality of its runners, assessed primarily by its Pattern Race Rating. A Pattern Race Rating is the average of the Annual Ratings achieved by a race over a three-year period. The Annual Rating is the average of the official ratings, as agreed by the ICC, of the first four horses to finish plus, in respect of all races restricted to fillies, an allowance of 3lb for races restricted to 2 year olds and 5lb for all other races. Group 1 races must be run with no penalties or allowances other than a sex allowance, and a weight-for-age allowance where applicable. Geldings may be eligible for all Pattern races except those Group 1 races confined to 2yo's or 3yo's.

What about other countries? How do they assign stakes classifications? There are many associations and government bodies that control the process in other countries. Outside of the members of the European Pattern Committee, or the Australian Pattern Committee it becomes tough to ascertain just how good (or bad) a Group 1 race really is. Standard Race Classifications It is almost impossible to shoehorn the multitude of foreign race classifications into the U.S. system. Probably the closest to our classifications is the system in use in Great Britain. The tables of equivalents below is rough, they use a wide variety of classifications. The book “Bet with the Best” has the most complete section on calculating race equivalency between the U.S. and Europe if you are interested.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

GB Class

US Class

Maiden Auction Maiden Stakes Listed Stakes Handicaps Group 3 Group 2 Group 1

Maiden Claiming Maiden Special Weight Allowances and Local Stakes Handicaps Grade 3 Grade 2 Grade 1

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Race Track Class Levels With over 100 tracks in North America running regular meets, not to mention the fairs and short meets, how can you determine what level of horses run at each track? By utilizing the average purse per race, we can categorize the tracks into A, B, C, D, and E levels:

"A" Tracks (>$50K)

"B" Tracks ($30-49K)

"C" Tracks ($20-29K)

"D" Tracks ($10-19K)

"E" Tracks (< $10K)

Belmont Park Churchill Downs Del Mar Hollywood Park Keeneland Ocala Training Center Santa Anita Saratoga Woodbine

Aqueduct Arlington Park Fair Grounds Gulfstream Park Meadowlands Monmouth Park Pimlico

Atlantic City Bay Meadows Calder Race Course Charles Town Colonial Downs Delta Downs Delaware Park Evangeline Downs Fairplex Park Golden Gate Fields Hawthorne Horsem*n's Park Kentucky Downs Laurel Park Lone Star Park Louisiana Downs Mountaineer Oaklawn Park Prairie Meadows Presque Isle Downs Sunland Park Zia Park

Albuquerque Downs Assiniboia Downs Atokad Downs Bay Meadows Fair Canterbury Park Ellis Park Emerald Downs Fair Meadows Finger Lakes Fort Erie Fresno Great Lakes Downs Hastings Hoosier Park Indiana Downs Los Alamitos Northlands Park Philadelphia Park Pleasanton Remington Park Ruidoso Downs Sam Houston Santa Rosa Solano Stampede Park Stockton Suffolk Downs SunRay Park Tampa Bay Downs Timonium Turfway Park

Arapahoe Park Beulah Blue Ribbon Downs Columbus (NE) Fairmount Park Ferndale Flagstaff Fonner Park Grants Pass Kamloops Kin Park Lincoln (NE) Marquis Downs Penn National Portland Meadows Retama Park Rillito River Downs Sunflower Downs Thistledown Turf Paradise Will Rogers Downs Woodlands Yavapai Downs

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Running Lines

82

The Beyer Speed Figure assigned for that race.

3 7 53¼ 51¼ 5¾ 34

Running lines for that performance showing position and lengths behind/ahead.

Bejarano R

The jockey for that race, in this case Rafael Bejarano.

LB117b

Lists the medications (Lasix and Bute), the weight, and equipment (blinkers).

3.50

The final odds for the runner in that race (expressed as a ratio to 1). An “e” after the odds indicates that the runner was part of a coupled entry, and an “f” indicates that he was part of a field bet. An asterisk (*) before the odds indicates that the horse was the post time favorite.

Equipment

Medication

b f n r

L B A

Blinkers Front Bandages Nasal Strip Bar Shoe

Lasix (furosemide) Bute (butazolidin) Adjunct Medication

Running Line Symbols Designates a dead heat.

Equipment and Medication Why do trainers use equipment and medication? The short answer is to make their horse more competitive by using equipment and medication to counter a problem. Blinkers - are used to focus the horse on the race and not on the surrounding distractions. The can also be used to keep horses from veering out or in. Front Bandages - are officially used to keep the horse from hitting itself, though many times they are warnings of tendon or ligament damage. Also known as “front wraps”. Nasal Strip - same use as for humans, at attempt to keep the nasal openings as open as possible.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Bar Shoe - a bar shoe is used for horses that have hoof problems, primarily quarter cracks. Mud Calks - are shoes specially designed for running on muddy or sloppy tracks, they have small projections, much like cleats in sports. Also called “stickers”. The use of mud calks is not identified in the DRF past performances and is usually announced prior to the race or during the post parade. Shadow Roll - is a large sheepskin band that fits over the nose to keep a horse’s eyes focused forward and away from distractions underfoot. Generally it is used when horses are bothered by changes in light on the track or have “jumped shadows”. This is not noted in the DRF Past Performances. Lasix - is a diuretic that is used to reduce the total circulating volume of fluid to prevent a build up in the lungs which can cause bleeding. Butazolidin - is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that is like Motrin for horses. It reduces inflammation and is also an analgesic. Adjunct Medication - is used for horses that run with medication other than Lasix or Butazolidin.

Coupled Entries When two or more horses are entered into the same race with the same owner and the same trainer (in some states they are coupled if they both have the same trainer), they become a “coupled entry”, that is when you bet on one you get both. They are identified by the use of a special program number (which is also displayed on the saddle cloth). The maximum number of coupled entries in a race is three, they are identified as: 1, 1A and 1X 2, 2B and 2X 3, 3C and 3X Note that if one part of the entry is disqualified by the stewards, both horses are disqualified.

Weight Assignments The assignment of weight to a runner is an attempt to “level the playing field” by adding weight to better horses or subtracting weight from lesser horses. The physics behind carrying additional weight is interesting, and this is based upon machines (not horses). If you take two identical 1150 pound machines and add one pound to machine “A” it will suffer a loss of 6” per furlong, so adding 4 pounds in a ten furlong race would theoretically cause a loss of 20 feet at the wire (4 x 6 inches = 2 feet x 10 furlongs = 20 feet). Horses are not machines, but the physics behind weight assignments is scientifically sound. Does it really matter? Some say it does, many say they don’t look twice at weight assignments. There have been some great horses carrying 134-142 pounds that still won easily (Dr. fa*ger, Ta Wee, John Henry).

Beyer Speed Figures The Beyer Speed Figures were created by Andrew Beyer and are a numerical representation of a horse's performance, based on the final time and the inherent speed over the track on which the race was run. The higher the Beyer Speed Figure, the better the performance. Beyer Speed Figures are interchangeable from track to track and from distance to distance. So, a horse who is stepping up in class but has been posting recent Beyer Speed Figures in the 90's may in reality be simply faster than a horse dropping out of seemingly better races, but who has been posting Beyer Speed Figures in the 80's.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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There are several handicapping rating systems in use throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The two largest are the Timeform Timefigures and Timeform Ratings, and the Racing Post Ratings. Timeform Timefigures Timefigures measure the performance of horses not on their form one against another but in terms of time, in seconds (per five furlongs) faster or slower than a certain fixed standard. Their calculation takes account of track differences, race distances, the ages of the horses concerned, weight-for-age, weights carried, the state of the track surface and the strength and direction of the prevailing wind. Calculation and print-out are by computer. For convenience, timefigures are usually transcribed into their equivalent 'timeratings' in pounds. These timeratings are directly comparable with Timeform Ratings - that is to say, they are tailored to the same scale. It must be appreciated that a Timeform Rating is a considered assessment of the merit of a horse on form, whereas a timefigure (or its equivalent timerating) represents the calculated time value of a single performance, which can often be well below what the horse is capable of recording. Racing Post Ratings Racing Post Ratings are a handicap rating determined by a horse's overall performance in a given race with respect to the race level, field quality, weight carried and time of the race. (Note: these are not directly comparable to speed ratings, which use different methodology).

Race Detail and Comment

87-09

The speed rating and track variant for this race (- - means no figures available).

Ten Meropa 1151¼ Sky Cape 1192¾

The winner of the race, the weight carried and the distance ahead of the place.

D.DoubleYou117no

The show horse, weight carried and distance ahead of the 4th horse.

Rail bid, game for 3rd

The comments on the run of the horse by the charter.

8

The number of runners in that race.

The place horse, weight carried and distance ahead of the show.

Race Detail Special Designations In the race details you will see some of the runners name(s) in italics and some in bold. When a runner’s name is italicized, they won next time out. When the name is in bold, that particular runner is entered into the current race. Comment Line Symbols Designates a disqualification.

Designates a dead heat.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Inquiries, Objections, Fouls, Protests and Disqualifications There is nothing that strikes fear into the heart of a horseplayer like the "Inquiry" sign flashing in red on the tote board. You just booted home a 40/1 shot, beating the favorite by a nose and then… So what are the rules regarding inquiries, objections, fouls, protests and disqualifications? Stewards’ Inquiry This is the actual process during which the stewards consider the objection and then render their decision as to whether the horse(s) in question will be disqualified and what final position they will be assigned (anywhere from the position directly behind the aggrieved horse to dead last) "The stewards shall make diligent inquiry into any objection or protest made either upon their own motion, by any racing official, or by any other person empowered by this division to make such protest or objection." Objection An objection can be filed by a racing official, a jockey, a trainer, or an owner. The objection can be prior to the race, questioning eligibility, weights or other conditions and/or restrictions, or can be made immediately following a race (before it has been declared official). Here is New Jersey's definition of incidents that warrant an objection: "Objections to the participation of a horse entered in any race shall be made to the stewards and confirmed in writing by the objector. An objection to a horse entered in a race shall be made not later than one hour before the scheduled post time of the race in which such horse is entered, except that the stewards upon their own motion may consider an objection until such time as the horse becomes a starter." "If a horse crosses another horse so as to interfere with that, or any other horse, or jostles, or itself, or its rider, in any way interferes with another horse or its rider, unless such jostle or interference was caused by some other horse or rider, or the horse or rider jostled or interfered with was partly at fault - such horse and any other horse in the same nomination may be disqualified for the race. If a horse or its rider causes interference within the meaning of this Rule to another placed horse, and the stewards are of the opinion that the horse interfered with would have finished ahead of the first mentioned horse had such interference not occurred, they may place the first mentioned horse immediately after the horse interfered with. For the purpose of this Rule "placed horse" shall be a horse placed by the Judge." Protests Where an objection is normally made prior to or immediately following a race, a protest is a request to overturn the results of a race that has been declared official. Here is the California rule on filing protests. "A protest against any horse which has started in a race, shall be made to the stewards in writing, signed by the protestor, no later than seventy-two (72) hours after the race is declared official excluding non-racing days of the meeting. If the incident the protest is based upon occurs within the last two (2) days of the race meeting, the protest may be filed with the Executive Director of the Board no later than seventy-two (72) hours after the race is declared official excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or official holidays. Upon receipt of the protest the Executive Director will assign the protest to an active board of stewards. Protests shall state the specific reason or reasons in such detail to establish probable cause for the protest." Disqualifications As previously stated the stewards can disqualify a horse and place him anywhere behind the aggrieved horse. But what if it is part of a coupled entry? Here are the rules from Pennsylvania on disqualification in the case of a coupled entry: "Coupled Entries - All disqualified horses shall be placed behind the impeded entry, except disqualification of coupled entries which is governed by the following paragraph: When a horse is disqualified, every entry coupled therewith shall be disqualified if the impeded horse, except for interference, would have arrived at the finish ahead of any of the coupled entry which comes in the money. The disqualification in such case shall operate as follows: 1. The coupled entry, if finished in the money and ahead of the impeded horse shall be placed behind that impeded horse.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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2. However, if the coupled entry finished in the money handily and/or convincingly, wherein the elements of "chance of success" cannot apply, then the coupled entry shall still be declared in the money ahead of the impeded horse and the rule on disqualification shall not be enforced. The infraction committed shall be treated as a foul and penalized depending on the gravity of the infraction. 3. A coupled entry which places among the first four placers in a race with a correct weight shall be declared a winner or placer, despite the lack of weight of the coupled entry/ies." No Contest Races The Stewards may declare a race “no contest” due to mechanical failure (the gate did not open or could not be moved), or interference (such as a loose horse) during the running of the race which affects the majority of the horses in that race. Cancellation of Races The Stewards can cancel any and all races on a card due to weather, unsafe conditions, equipment malfunction or if the start of the race would be after a certain time (in California it is midnight). Walkover The rare case where no other runner shows up to race and the entered runner wins by default - these are almost always horses that are virtually unbeatable by available competition.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Works

Mar16

The date of the work.

SA

The track where the work was held.

Diamond A

Indicates that the work was held on a synthetic track.

5f

The distance of the work.

1:00

2

The time of the work, one minute 2/5 seconds.

H

The way the horse worked, in this case “handily”

11/40

The rank position for the horse to all of the works at that distance, that day.

Work Designations and Additional Data z B D (d) E

Best of day/distance (bullet) Breezing Driving Worked around dogs Easily

g H tr.t TR (W)

Worked from gate Handily Training track Training race Wood Chips

About Work Designations and Additional Data Although there are four primary work designations (Breezing, Driving, Easily, Handily) only two are really used - Breezing and Handily. In 40 years I think I have seen “Easily” a dozen times, and “Driving” twice. So what do the designations really mean? Not much actually, they are subjective and different tracks seem to use one or the other predominantly, for example in Southern California 95% of all works are listed as “Handily”, where back east the majority of works are listed as “Breezing”. The lower case additional data symbols are used in combination with the designator, so when you see an “Hg” it was a gate work that was designated “Handily”. A turf work is designated by the standard turf symbol (a “T” in a circle) for turf works. Dogs are cones that are positioned on the turf track to designate the part of the turf course that is available for works. At most tracks there are no gate works on the turf, in fact at most tracks special permission is required to work on the turf course - pretty logical as the turf will suffer damage from the gate as well as the runners. The idea that a lone horse comes out on the track at 4:30 in the morning by himself to work is great for the movies, but in reality it is organized chaos. There are lots of horses on the track, most working from a different starting point and the clockers 99% of the time keeping track of who is working and their time. It is worth going to watch, it is like a horse ballet with a bunch of people with stop watches looking on.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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Trainer Statistics

1stClaim (10 .30 $3.66)

The statistical category. The 10 is the number of horses that the trainer has had in this category, .30 (30%) is the win rate, and $3.66 is the ROI.

31-60Days (33 .12 $1.46)

The statistical category. The 33 is the number of horses that the trainer has had in this category, .12 (12%) is the win rate, and $1.46 is the ROI.

Dirt (73 .22 $2.16)

The statistical category. The 73 is the number of horses that the trainer has had in this category, .22 (22%) is the win rate, and $2.16 is the ROI.

Sprint (42 .17 $2.89)

The statistical category. The 42 is the number of horses that the trainer has had in this category, .17 (17%) is the win rate, and $2.89 is the ROI.

Claim (62 .24 $2.38)

The statistical category. The 62 is the number of horses that the trainer has had in this category, .24 (24%) is the win rate, and $2.89 is the ROI.

Jockey/Trainer Statistics J/T 2007-08 (3 .33 $8.13)

AQU

J/T 2007-08 (5 .20 $4.88)

The Jockey/Trainer stats as a team for 2007-08 at Aqueduct. The 3 is the number of horses that the jockey/trainer have teamed up on at Aqueduct, .33 (33%) is the win rate for the team and $8.13 is the ROI for the team at Aqueduct. . The Jockey/Trainer stats as a team for 2007-08 at any track. The 5 is the number of horses that the jockey/trainer have teamed up on at any track, .20 (20%) is the win rate for the team and $4.88 is the ROI for the team total at all tracks, including Aqueduct.

Trainer Statistic Categories First North American Start 1st Race After Claim 1st Race With Trainer 180 Days Since Last Race 60-180 Days Since Last Race 2 Off Over 180 Days 1-7 Days Since Last Race 1st Time Starter 2nd Start of Career 1st Time Turf 1st Time Blinkers 1st Time Lasix

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

2 Year Olds Dirt to Turf Turf to Dirt Blinkers On Blinkers Off Sprint to Route Route to Sprint 31-60 Days Since Last Race. Dirt Turf Sprints Routes

Maiden Claiming Maiden Special Weight Claiming Allowance Stakes Graded Stakes MSW to MCL Synthetic Synthetic to Turf Turf to Synthetic

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Trainer Statistics Time Period The trainer statistics noted in the DRF Past Performances are for the last two years, although the Formulator edition is for the last five years. Formulator is a DRF software handicapping program that uses specially formatted Past Performances.

ROI (Return on Investment) Throughout the trainer and jockey stats you will see a dollar number that represents the return on your investment if you had played two dollars to win on every horse in that category. So a .42 ROI means you would have gotten .42 for every two dollars you invested. If the ROI was $11.35, you would get $11.35 for every two dollars you invested. ROI is a useful tool for handicappers, it is the ultimate measure of success as a horseplayer - How much do you win? The formula is simple:

PROFIT TOTAL INVESTMENT

Notification of Trainer Change or Claim When a horse changes trainers or is claimed, that fact is noted in the running lines as follows:

Denotes the change of trainer.

Denotes a claim.

This is what it looks like in the actual Past Performance:

In this example we have a change of trainer on December 2nd, 2006 and then the horse was claimed from a $20K claiming race on March 8th, 2007.

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

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References and Resources Internet Resources Below are some great Internet sites that can give you just about any kind of information you are looking for, from pedigrees to work analysis to opinions and statistics and news. Alex Brown Racing Bloodstock Research Information Services (BRIS) Breeders’ Cup Brooklyn Backstretch Cal Racing Chef-de-Race Chicago Barn to Wire Daily Racing Form Equibase Equidaily Fasig-Tipton Foolish Pleasure Jockey Club Handicapping.Com Horseplayer Magazine Horseraces.net Horseraceinsider Horsephotos Let it Ride National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Onefasthorse Pedigree Query Paul Moran at the Races Race Replays Railbird The Bloodhorse The Florida Horse They Are at The Post Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Thoroughbred Daily News Thoroughbred Heritage Thoroughbred Ink Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Thoroughbred Times Turfpedia Yahoo Horse Racing

http://alexbrownracing.com/ www.bris.com www.breederscup.com http://brooklynbackstretch.blogspot.com/ www.calracing.com www.chef-de-race.com http://barntowire.com/ www.drf.com www.equibase.com http://equidaily.com/ http://www.fasigtipton.com/ http://foolishpleasure-valerie.blogspot.com/ www.jockeyclub.com http://handicapping.com/ www.horseplayerdaily.com www.horse-races.net www.horseraceinsider.com www.horsephotos.com http://letitride.com/ www.ntra.com www.obssales.com/ http://onefasthorse.com/ www.pedigreequery.com http://paulmoranattheraces.blogspot.com/ www.racereplays.com www.jessicachapel.com www.bloodhorse.com www.thefloridahorse.com www.theyareatthepost.com http://thoroughbredbloggersalliance.blogspot.com/ www.thoroughbreddailynews.com www.tbheritage.com www.thoroughbredink.com www.toba.org www.thoroughbredtimes.com www.turfpedia.com http://sports.yahoo.com/rah

Books There are a fair number of books out there, but some are invaluable and we highly recommend them as a base library for any horseplayer. There are many more on handicapping and betting which we will talk about in the handicapping and betting guides. But these are a great start on understanding the intricacies of the data.

Trainer Angles Betting Maidens & Two Year Olds Beyer on Speed Bruno on Workouts Pedigree Handicapping Go for the Green

DRF Past Performance Tutorial

Dean Keppler Dan Illman Andrew Beyer Bruno DeJulio Lauren Stich Bill Heller

DRF Press DRF Press DRF Press DRF Press DRF Press DRF Press

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