Selection Reports and Track Bias from KeyPony.Com

Does your monster speed horse need a tow truck to finish the race?
Did a 15-1 shot who has shown to cough his lungs out after the half just got transformed to an Energizer bunny?
Do you see good jockeys switch lane for no reason?

Track surfaces are in constant change, and a horse player should take advantage of the changes.
With the right data any horse player can spot these biases after a few races has run on the track. That's why it's so important to not just see the races run but watch how they run. It would be a suicide to wager a sustain runner that you ranked as equal to a front runner to rally on a speed favoring track.

How do we do this?
Well, by looking at the horses' running styles and the pace figures. (Sty,Q,EP,TSP,LP)
Visualize the running of the race. Watch a couple of horses with a predictable running style (front runner/late runner), and see if they do as good as the pace numbers indicate.
This should be done for each surface (Dirt-Turf) and different distances (Sprints and Routes). Remember that we are not to make a rocket science project out of this, but just see if a noticeable bias exist.

But do you have to just sit and watch the first few races? The answer is "no", some of the best wagering opportunities are early in the day. Other handicappers who did not bother to make a note of races from previous day will be offering their money to you who did the homework.

But what if you were not at the races yesterday either?
Only a few people take advantage of detail result charts that are freely available online, and they will give you all the information you need to have an idea of what to expect. True that there will be changes overnight, but any information is better than none when starting the day. You can expect to be close if there were no big changes in the weather or the track maintenance. (Some tracks even post the daily changes done by the track crew online)
Also, most major tracks offer archives of the races online, and previous day's race replays at the track. These are tools that can make a difference in your handicapping process.

So, pull up the charts from one of the information services, and compare the results to the horses running styles and pace figures (available in "Previous Day's Reports" section of this site).
Do you see a bias?

Equibase has one of the best result charts online. I will cover the result charts and how to analyze them later. For a general idea of how each track is running, try the "at a glance" section of "Handicapper's Edge" free daily newsletter from BRIS.

Remember, you are just trying to see if there was a noticeable bias. So, if you can't see it, don't assume one either way. Plenty other ways to gain advantage.

Good luck at the races.

	Taking Advantage of Track Bias
	Does your monster speed horse need a tow truck to finish the race? Did a 15-1 shot who has shown to cough his lungs out after the half just got transformed to an Energizer bunny? Do you see good jockeys switch lane for no reason? Track surfaces are in constant change, and a horse player should take advantage of the changes. With the right data any horse player can spot these biases after a few races has run on the track. That's why it's so important to not just see the races run but watch how they run. It would be a suicide to wager a sustain runner that you ranked as equal to a front runner to rally on a speed favoring track. How do we do this? Well, by looking at the horses' running styles and the pace figures. (Sty,Q,EP,TSP,LP) Visualize the running of the race. Watch a couple of horses with a predictable running style (front runner/late runner), and see if they do as good as the pace numbers indicate. This should be done for each surface (Dirt-Turf) and different distances (Sprints and Routes). Remember that we are not to make a rocket science project out of this, but just see if a noticeable bias exist. But do you have to just sit and watch the first few races? The answer is "no", some of the best wagering opportunities are early in the day. Other handicappers who did not bother to make a note of races from previous day will be offering their money to you who did the homework. But what if you were not at the races yesterday either? Only a few people take advantage of detail result charts that are freely available online, and they will give you all the information you need to have an idea of what to expect. True that there will be changes overnight, but any information is better than none when starting the day. You can expect to be close if there were no big changes in the weather or the track maintenance. (Some tracks even post the daily changes done by the track crew online) Also, most major tracks offer archives of the races online, and previous day's race replays at the track. These are tools that can make a difference in your handicapping process. So, pull up the charts from one of the information services, and compare the results to the horses running styles and pace figures (available in "Previous Day's Reports" section of this site). Do you see a bias? Equibase has one of the best result charts online. I will cover the result charts and how to analyze them later. For a general idea of how each track is running, try the "at a glance" section of "Handicapper's Edge" free daily newsletter from BRIS. Remember, you are just trying to see if there was a noticeable bias. So, if you can't see it, don't assume one either way. Plenty other ways to gain advantage. Good luck at the races.