This is the $64,000 question in the
sport of horse racing. Unsurprisingly, there’s no easy answer, but
the most practical method of assessing horses’ chances of winning
races is by reading the form book. Available online, or in the
“Racing Post” – Britain’s only daily racing
newspaper – the form book contains all you need to know about the
public performance of a racehorse, its pedigree, the length of time
since it last ran and much more besides. Unfortunately, even with all
this information at your fingertips, you’re not guaranteed to pick
a winner, but at least you’ll be in a position to make an informed
decision.
Reading and assessing horse racing form
requires some time and effort, but there are one or two shortcuts you
can take to make the process less arduous. Tom Segal, a.k.a.
Pricewise in the Racing Post, apparently takes no more than 20
minutes to assess major handicaps, such as the Wokingham Stakes and
the Stewards’ Cup, so try to take a leaf out of his book.
Notwithstanding Tom Segal, the fact
remains that roughly two-thirds of all horse races in Britain
are won by one of the first three in the betting, so it would appear
to make sense to focus on that segment of the market. Horses cannot
be maintained at peak fitness indefinitely; they are trained
gradually to peak fitness, where they remain for a short period,
before being let down again. National Hunt horses are typically more
robust than their Flat counterparts in this respect but, as a rule of
thumb, avoid horses that have been off the course for 42 days – or,
in other words, six weeks – or more. What you’re looking for,
ideally, is a horse that is seeking to achieve nothing, or only a
little, more than it has achieved in the past.
Of course, the form book is just one
way of comparing the performance of one racehorse with another.
Others include speed ratings – that is, numerical figures, usually
in Imperial pounds, which indicate the ability of a horse – such as
those published. However, once you discover a method that suits you,
stick with it; losers are an inevitable part of betting on horse
racing, but are easier to cope with if you know your underlying
philosophy is sound.
