The Kentucky Derby is among us! What a year to be a horse racing bettor because many big names will participate in this year’s Derby, and indeed, it will be a blast.
If you want in on the fun, the Kentucky Derby is one of the most significant horse racing events you should not miss at all. That said, if you want to start betting on horse racing, the Kentucky Derby is an excellent place to start because it’s where many people will be betting, and there’s huge money to be made.
However, if you’re a newbie in horse racing in general, then you’re in luck because, in this article, we will be talking about some telltale signs that make a horse a winner. These signs are everywhere, and they’re easy to spot once you know what they are, but it’s not enough to just casually talk about them. In this article, we will discuss each of these signs in full detail. Let’s start.
Good Track Record
One of the best places to start your research is the racing forms, specifically their track records. Generally, a horse that is a consistent top three in its most recent races is a good bet, especially if you’re looking to find horses for exotic bets. However, as mentioned just now, these races should be recent, or this information would be irrelevant.
Also, you have to consider the factors that led to these results. For example, check if that specific horse is heavy-footed and whether or not the track surface is synthetic. What about the type of race? Is it circular or a straight line? Why are these important? These factors have a significant impact on a horse’s performance.
For example, some thoroughbreds are heavy-footed, and the rest are light-footed. A heavy-footed horse will have a reduced speed in a dirt track because their hooves will burrow into the dirt quite deep, impeding their movement. However, in synthetic track surfaces, nothing will impede their movement, giving them a significant increase in their speed.
On the other hand, a light-footed horse will have no problem running on a dirt track, as well as synthetic tracks or turf. But they are significantly slower than heavy-footed horses on all tracks, except when running on dirt surfaces.
Repeat Contestant
Veterans usually say, “Never trust a horse to do something it has never done before,” and that’s good advice. It means that if a horse, let’s say, didn’t win in the Kentucky Derby before, there’s a big chance that it won’t win the race. The opposite of that saying is also good advice. If a horse won in the Kentucky Derby before, there’s also a considerable chance of winning the race. Sure, in some cases, the results might be reversed, but most of the time, it’s true.
Days Since Previous Race
Just like human athletes, horses need some rest too. However, a lot of people seem to ignore this factor and even deem it to be irrelevant. But contrary to that statement, the amount of rest a horse had before the race is essential to its upcoming performance. If a horse is too tired to race, it will fall off the rankings, and if it has too much rest, it will be too lax to race and will not be at its peak physical performance.
With that said, how much rest should a horse have to remain on its peak physical conditioning? The sweet spot is between 30 to 60 days. Also, you should take note that a horse will only get back to its peak performance after a race or two.
Behavior and Well-Being
Horses have emotions, just like humans. Their species are pretty friendly and thrive when in huge groups. That said, when a horse has been away from other horses for a long time, there’s a huge chance that it will become depressed. That will be a huge problem because it can give the horse performance issues and even anxiety, which are never a good thing when it comes to racing.
One of the biggest advantages of being in the stadium personally is seeing the horses up close and personal. With this, you can see how a horse is doing from its paddocks to its position in an important race, such as the kentucky derby post positions. There are clues that you can find on how a horse will perform based on its current behavior.
For example, if it looks irritated, huffing incessantly, looks agitated, and is pacing a lot, it’s a sign that it’s nervous and unprepared to race. However, if a horse is calm and has steady steps, it’s a sign that it’s ready to race.
Final Words
Now is a good reminder that even though a horse is showing all of these telltale signs, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to win. It’s just that it has a good chance of winning. However, it also doesn’t mean that these signs are useless and irrelevant. They are good indicators, and most of the time, they are accurate.
This is a paid guest post.