When you handicap a race you have to take into consideration the jockeys that are riding in the race.
Several key points to remember when looking at the riders are, 1.
Has this jockey won with this horse before, 2.
Is this a winning jockey or a loser, 3.
Is this one of the trainer's go-to jockeys? Also of importance is whether or not a good jockey got off the horse or if a better jockey is getting on.
Horse racing handicapping is the art of looking at many factors and determining how much weight, or importance to give to each factor and how it relates to the possible outcome of the race.
There is no computer on earth that can do it successfully and very few people who can do it well enough to make a living at it.
Let's take a look at what you might think when you see a change of rider.
First of all, if a good jockey stays on a horse, that's a good sign.
If a good rider gets off and another good rider gets on it can mean several things.
The rider who abandoned the mount may be under contract to ride another trainer's horses and had to ride one in that race.
It may also mean that he is getting on a better horse, but that doesn't mean the new rider can't win with that mount.
That's important to remember.
In the very cheapest of claiming races trainer's will sometimes put a jockey on a horse to drive the odds up.
Let's say a top jockey was riding the horse and now the trainer has it ready to win.
If it goes to post with the top rider it will go off at lousy odds.
Therefore, he may put a so-so jockey aboard just to drive the odds up.
The betting public will see the good rider get off and figure the horse isn't going to win.
This trick can be used over and over again, though it usually isn't used very often.
Look back in the horse's career and see if it won with that jockey before.
That may be a tip-off that the trick has been used before.
As riders come and go from mounts it is always good to remember that they are the best ones to judge a horse's real chances of winning the race.
The better jockeys have agents who spend their time watching workouts, talking to trainers, and following as many horses as they can.
Their livelihood depends upon getting live mounts for their riders.
Several key points to remember when looking at the riders are, 1.
Has this jockey won with this horse before, 2.
Is this a winning jockey or a loser, 3.
Is this one of the trainer's go-to jockeys? Also of importance is whether or not a good jockey got off the horse or if a better jockey is getting on.
Horse racing handicapping is the art of looking at many factors and determining how much weight, or importance to give to each factor and how it relates to the possible outcome of the race.
There is no computer on earth that can do it successfully and very few people who can do it well enough to make a living at it.
Let's take a look at what you might think when you see a change of rider.
First of all, if a good jockey stays on a horse, that's a good sign.
If a good rider gets off and another good rider gets on it can mean several things.
The rider who abandoned the mount may be under contract to ride another trainer's horses and had to ride one in that race.
It may also mean that he is getting on a better horse, but that doesn't mean the new rider can't win with that mount.
That's important to remember.
In the very cheapest of claiming races trainer's will sometimes put a jockey on a horse to drive the odds up.
Let's say a top jockey was riding the horse and now the trainer has it ready to win.
If it goes to post with the top rider it will go off at lousy odds.
Therefore, he may put a so-so jockey aboard just to drive the odds up.
The betting public will see the good rider get off and figure the horse isn't going to win.
This trick can be used over and over again, though it usually isn't used very often.
Look back in the horse's career and see if it won with that jockey before.
That may be a tip-off that the trick has been used before.
As riders come and go from mounts it is always good to remember that they are the best ones to judge a horse's real chances of winning the race.
The better jockeys have agents who spend their time watching workouts, talking to trainers, and following as many horses as they can.
Their livelihood depends upon getting live mounts for their riders.