May 14 2013

Age and Sex

Foal All Legs

A Foal in Lexington, Ky.

Regardless of their actual birth date, all race horses turn 1-year old on January 1 of the year following their birth.  Prior to that they are referred to as a Foal, or a Weanling (a horse that has been weaned from its mother).  The horse’s mother is called a Dam, and their father is a Sire.

After they turn 1-year old, they are referred to as a Yearling for the next year.  Then they become a 2-year old (aka Juveniles), a 3-year old, etc.  on each subsequent January 1.

There are additional names added to a race horse based on Age and Sex.  Female horses less than 5 years old are called “Fillies.”  Females 5 years and older are called “Mares.”  Male horses less than 5 years old are called “Colts.”  Males five and older are simply referred to as a “Horse.”

Two exceptions to the male names occur.  The first is when a horse has been castrated.  Regardless of their age, they are then referred to as a “Gelding.”  The other exception is a male with an undescended testicle, who is referred to as a “Ridgling.”  Let’s return to Age specific matters.

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May 10 2013

Class Matters – From Top To Bottom

In this article we open up one of the most interesting topics in handicapping horse racing.  The topic of “Class.”  Class is considered by some handicappers to be THE most important factor when evaluating a race.  I have known Class players that will utilize Class almost exclusively when handicapping a race.  Others consider class less important, positing that a horse doesn’t know what “Class” he is supposed to be.  I think the majority of handicappers are somewhere in-between.  At least that’s where I am. Read More >>

May 8 2013

The Head Trainer – All The Glory, All The Blame

In his book, Ainslie’s Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing, Tom Anslie said:

The truth is that racing is no more natural for horses than the hundred-yard dash is for men.  To engage successfully in activities of that kind, a horse (or man) must be schooled and tended.  To survive any great number of races or training workouts without breaking down, the muscles, joints, heart and lungs of horse or man must be trained for undue stress.

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May 6 2013

Track Conditions

Muddy Day 3

Photo by Alicia Hamm

Track Conditions basically refers to the amount of moisture found in a Race Track.  This can vary from being so dry that maintenance crews have to water the surface in order to hold the dust down, to wet enough that puddles of water appear on the racing surface.  And of course everything in between.

In this article we will define the various conditions for both Dirt and Turf surfaces, and provide examples of how they are presented in the Past Performances (PPs) of the Daily Racing Form.

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May 4 2013

Kentucky Derby Memory

It was 1991, but I remember everything like it was yesterday.  My first visit to a mecca of horse racing, Churchill Downs … and the Kentucky Derby.  Deb was 5 months pregnant with our son, Michael.  But, that didn’t slow her down one bit.  Up every morning at the crack of dawn, and we were off … Off to the breeding farms, off to the race track, off to creating some of my fondest horse racing memories. Read More >>

May 2 2013

Racing Surface Summary (Updated December 2014)

In prior articles we’ve touched on the variety of surfaces that Thoroughbred horses run on at race tracks in North America.  The following table describes the articles in case you want to review them again, or missed them the first time around. You can click on the Article Title within each row to read it in it’s entirety.

Post Title Description
From Furlongs To Ovals Dirt Tracks at Saratoga and Belmont.
More Racetracks and Stretch Run Variations Dirt Tracks including Aqueduct, Churchill Downs, Santa Anita, and others.
Saratoga Turf Courses The Inner and Outer Turf Courses at Saratoga Race Track
Other Turf Courses Belmont, Santa Anita, Monmouth, and Kentucky Downs Turf Courses
Synthetic Tracks An Introduction to Synthetic Surfaces.

This article will attempt to pull it all together on the subject of surfaces and also provide some examples on how surface information is presented in the Past Performances (PPs) in The Daily Racing Form.
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Apr 30 2013

Synthetic Tracks

Kee Synthetic Dry

Having just returned from a visit to Keeneland race track in Lexington, Kentucky, I thought it was a good time to discuss the various surfaces that Thoroughbred horses race on. The traditional surfaces in North America are dirt and grass, with the highest value Stakes races held on the dirt. For example, the Triple Crown is run exclusively over dirt surfaces.

Keeneland however, has a Synthetic surface made of a mixture of silica sand, recycled fibers (carpet and spandex) and recycled rubber/pvc. I took a close-up picture to the right to show it’s unique texture. This picture was taken on a warm and sunny day, with very little moisture in the track. Below is a picture of the stretch run taken the same day.

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Apr 28 2013

Lexington, Kentucky – As Beautiful A Place As There Is!

Keeneland Starting Gate3

Keeneland Starting Gate

I recently returned from a short visit to Lexington, Kentucky and for the final three days of the Keeneland Spring Meet.  Deb and I have been to Lexington several times, but somehow we always seem to find something new. This time it was WinStar Farm; a 1,700 acre farm in the heart of horse country USA.

Some of the most successful sires in the breeding business reside at WinStar Farm, and we were able to get a personal viewing of many of them, thanks to our friend Chance Timm, a bloodstock agent at the farm.  The parade of stars included: Artie Schiller, Bellamy Road, Bodemeister, Distorted Humor, Super Saver, and several more … including my personal favorite Tiznow.

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Apr 26 2013

Horseplayer Styles

One of the beautiful things about horseplayers is they come in every shape and size imaginable; and they all have their own style.  And as most good horseplayers will tell you, they have evolved, and adapted their style over time.

Sometimes it’s an adaptation forced on them by a fundamental change in the game (e.g. the introduction of Synthetic surfaces at some race tracks).  Other times it comes from within, as they adjust something like their wagering style to better fit their personality.  More about that in a future post.  In either case, external or internal, Darwin would be proud of their adaptability.
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Apr 24 2013

Understanding Take Out Percentages in Pari-Mutuel Wagering

The system of betting that is standard throughout the horse racing world is based on pari-mutuel wagering. All money wagered is placed into a pool, a “Take-Out” is removed from the pool, and the remaining money is returned to the winning wagers. The diagram below shows an example with the assumption of a 25% Take-out percentage and a total of $400 wagered.
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