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Handicapping horse racing
Horse Racing Master > Handicapping > Handicapping horse racing Handicapping horse racing can hve two meanings. The first meaning refers to assigning an advantage to certain horses which have lesser chances of winning. The second meaning refers to the art of predicting an outcome of a certain race by analyzing different factors that are the most influential in the competition. The first meaning is actually encountered also in other sports than horse racing. An advantage, or a disadvantage if you will, is placed on a competitor, a thing which equalizes the chances of winning the competition among the different participants. There are several ways to do this, but maybe the most encountered is by placing a strategic disadvantage on a more experienced competitor, thus maintaining a relative fairness of a competition. This is also the case of horse racing. In this sport, an evidently faster and classier horse is being disadvantaged by placing extra weights in the saddle. This type of competition is also called a handicap race, for the obvious reason. The weights make the jockey heavier, and horses are very sensitive to that. Even only two or three pounds of extra weight can slow down a horse by a length.
One of the most legendary horses which from the history books is Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit used to run in handicap races with an extra weight of 130 pounds. This is an almost ridiculous figure but the horse still managed to win the 1940 Santa Anita handicap race. The second meaning of horse race handicapping refers to the art of predicting a certain outcome of a horse race by analyzing different factors that are influential in a race’s possible result. It takes a lot of study and experience to be able to accurately predict an outcome of a race. Many people consider this an art form, and it has a feeling of enigma attached to it. There are some secrets that only the real experts know when it comes to handicapping. However, there are several factors which are surely being used by people who use this technique. The first one is the speed of a horse. A horse’s speed is a very influential factor in its’ chances of winning a race. Then, perhaps the most important single factor that experts take into consideration is the pace of a horse. This is based on each horse’s running style and although it is very important, it depends maybe a little too much on the randomness of a race. This is because a jockey can easily control the pace of a horse especially at the beginning of each race.
There are many other factors taken into consideration like the class of the horse, its’ experience, even the track conditions, etc. Since we are not experts, we only get to watch, enjoy, and maybe place a bet on handicapping horse racing.
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