Trip Notes

In a prior post we briefly introduced trip notes in conjunction with a review of full trip descriptions in result charts.  Click here to see that post.  In this post we’re going to focus on the terminology used in the abbreviated trip notes shown in the Past Performances (PPs) of each horse.  These trip notes are part of what is referred to as the comment line in the PPs.

The comment line is a subset of the full description found in the result chart for a specific horse.  Since it is confined to one line and relatively few characters, it can be rather cryptic to read.  DRF describes the contents of the comment line as follows:

A capsule description of the horse’s performance written by the chart caller.  Emphasis is placed on trouble encountered during the race and/or how it finished.  If the horse won the race, the manner in which it won is indicated – driving, ridden out, handily or easily (in order of effort).

Here we will provide some examples and further description of some comment terminology used in the comments. Read More >>

Boxing Bets – Doesn’t Always Make Sense

In a prior article we introduced Exacta and Trifecta (Triple) wagers as a type of Intra-Race wager.  Click here for a review of that article. Today we’re going to expand on these two wagers and discuss a very common question relating to them.  Should I box my bets?  No doubt, if you’ve been to the track more than once, you’ve witnessed the circumstance where a newbie bets an Exacta of 4-2, only to have the result come in 2-4 … and then get hammered by his/her more experienced friends.

• Why didn’t you box them?
• You should have boxed them!
• What were you thinking?

Well, after reading this article … you can tell your friends that you know a better way! Read More >>

Vacation Break

Time for a family vacation break. Heading up to the Adirondacks for some R&R on Lake George. No horse racing up there this time of year. I will return on July 8, rested and ready for an exciting Saratoga meet.

Also, for those of you in the Albany-Saratoga region, I will be giving a presentation at the Town of Colonie library on Tuesday, July 9. Click here for a link to the Library calendar of events, including a Front Page description of my presentation.

N.Benoit

Dime A Day

On Xpressbet.com there is a tournament called Dime-a-Day. It is offered for two race tracks (Del Mar and Saratoga) during the summer months.  There is a one-time registration fee of $25.  After the initial fee, you make “live” wagers of $10 per day on a single Win, Place, or Show bet.  Live meaning the money you are betting is real money from your account, not mythical money as in some tournaments.  Of course that also means that if your bet wins, you get the money added to your account regardless of what happens in the tournament.

The format is fairly simple.  Each racing day you place a single contest wager of $10 to Win, Place, or Show on a any horse in any race.  At the end of the day Xpressbet awards $1,000 to the person(s) who won the most money with their $10 wager.  In the event of a tie, the $1,000 is evenly distributed to the winning players.  At the end of the season a $5,000 grand prize is awarded to the highest earning player for the entire season.  Last year (2012) I gave this tournament a shot for the first time at Saratoga … and despite failing to cash any of the daily payouts, I can’t wait to sign up again this year.  Here’s why.  Read More >>

Optional Claiming Races – A True Hybrid

In two prior articles, we introduced Claiming races and Allowance races.  Optional Claiming races are where the two meet.  Why mix them? The simple answer is to fill races.  Racing secretaries are always looking for ways of getting more horses into races.  Allowance races can be especially tough to fill, especially when you get into the N2X and N3X conditions.  Optional Claiming races are like an Allowance race with a special invitation provided for Claiming animals. Read More >>

Result Charts Complete The Story

Result charts are a complete account of what happened in a race.  As opposed to the Past Performances (PPs) for an individual horse, which reflect a subset of the result chart information; and is focused only on information specific to that horse.  Before the Internet, result charts were accessible only by clipping them out of the Daily Racing Form and saving them in your own well guarded file.  A collection of well organized result charts was considered gold by many handicappers.  However, today they are available with the click of a mouse. Read More >>

Ramon Dominguez

In a prior post we described the physical requirements of a jockey, and argued that (pound-for-pound) they might be the best athlete in all of sports.  We also explained how their life can change in an instant. On January 18, 2013 that is exactly what happened to Ramon Dominguez.  At 36 years old and at the pinnacle of his sport (having won the Eclipse award for best jockey in the nation for the 3^rd consecutive year) he crashed to the ground in a spill at Aqueduct race track.  His injury would later be described as a “traumatic brain injury.” Read More >>

Learning About Pace and Moss Pace Figures

If you spend much time at the race track, it’s only a matter of time before you hear a horseplayer say, “Pace Makes the Race.”  It’s one of those timeless maxims that has forever been a part of racing and will forever be a part of racing.  Entering a race, trainers and jockeys are well aware of the running style for their horse and generally for the other horses involved in the race.  For similar reasons, it’s a good idea as a horseplayer to have the same awareness when handicapping a race. Read More >>

Workouts – A Measure of Racing Form

Workouts are like a practice for any other athlete.  Most horses in training get daily exercise, but not all exercise is considered an official workout.  Official means they were timed by a track clocker, and will be published in all records of a horses past performances.  Standard information presented for the workout are Date, Track, Distance, Surface, Time, Qualification, and Ranking.  Qualifications on the official workouts are used to help explain the nature of the workout.  I have several examples to help explain the information. Read More >>

Lessons from a Pick-4 Score on Belmont Day 2013

In a prior article I introduced one of my horseplayer friends, Vince “the Volcano.”  I explained that Vince is predominantly a Pick-3 and Pick-4 player.  He prefers to focus on multiple contenders in successive races rather than single out individual horses for a Win bet.  He explains it like this:

“The benefit in these is my 3rd choice can win the first three legs and my 6th choice wins the last, and I win $2,000.  If I bet those four races solo, I lose all of them.  This works for me.”

On Belmont Stakes day Vince sent me a text message: “Do you think Point of Entry loses? Other three legs are awesome races.  I see a (3 x 7 x 1 x 6) Pick4 play in here.” Read More >>