Understanding Daily Racing Form Past Performances: March 29, 2008
Understanding Daily Racing Form Past Performances: March 29, 2008
Understanding Daily Racing Form Past Performances: March 29, 2008
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 handi-
capping 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 like-
ly 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 under-
stand 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:
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 sce-
narios, 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!
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 funda-
mentals 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.
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
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
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 prod-
uct 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.
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 The surface the race was run on, in this case turf.
3 3 4
:21 :43 1:06 1:13 The fractions for the lead horse, with the last time the time of the winner.
fr Frozen fm Firm
fst Fast gd Good
gd Good hd Hard
hy Heavy hy Heavy
my Muddy sf Soft
sl Slow yl Yielding
sly Sloppy
wf Wet-Fast
Note: an “s” after the track condition indicates that the track
has been sealed.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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 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.
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.
Here are the sizes of some of the major tracks in the United States:
1
Aqueduct has two dirt tracks, the main track and an inner track that is a one mile oval.
2
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.
3
Saratoga has two turf tracks, the Mellon Turf (the main turf track), and an inner turf track that is 7 Furlongs, 304 Feet.
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 avail-
able 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.
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 desig-
nations 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 weight-
based 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 induce-
ments 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 2: Maiden Claiming $50,000 - Purse $29,000
Race 3: Local Stakes $75,000 - Purse $75,000 Race 4: Maiden Claiming $32,000 - Purse $20,000
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 asso-
ciations and regulatory bodies, each with their own version of race classifications, making a stab at calculating the class equiva-
lency dicey at best.
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.
"A" Tracks (>$50K) "B" Tracks ($30-49K) "C" Tracks ($20-29K) "D" Tracks ($10-19K) "E" Tracks (< $10K)
Equipment 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 liga-
ment damage. Also known as “front wraps”.
Nasal Strip - same use as for humans, at attempt to keep the nasal openings as open as possible.
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 cou-
pled if they both have the same trainer), they become a “coupled entry”, that is when you bet on one you get both. They are iden-
tified 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 identi-
cal 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 fur-
long 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.
Fager, Ta Wee, John Henry).
Timeform Timefigures
Timefigures measure the performance of horses not on their form one against another but in terms of time, in seconds (per five fur-
longs) 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 prevail-
ing 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.
87-09 The speed rating and track variant for this race (- - means no figures available).
Ten Meropa 1151¼ The winner of the race, the weight carried and the distance ahead of the place.
Sky Cape 1192¾ The place horse, weight carried and distance ahead of the show.
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.
Designates a disqualification.
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 objec-
tor. 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 inter-
feres 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 spe-
cific 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.
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 inter-
ference (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.
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.
Jockey/Trainer Statistics
J/T 2007-08 AQU The Jockey/Trainer stats as a team for 2007-08 at Aqueduct.
(3 .33 $8.13) 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. .
J/T 2007-08 The Jockey/Trainer stats as a team for 2007-08 at any track.
(5 .20 $4.88) 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.
ROI is a useful tool for handicappers, it is the ultimate measure of success as a horseplayer - How much do you win? The formu-
la is simple:
PROFIT
TOTAL INVESTMENT
When a horse changes trainers or is claimed, that fact is noted in the running lines as follows:
Denotes a claim.
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.
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.
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.