Racing FAQ for Newer Players

Original article written by Randall Allen posted 8 years 3 weeks ago

In my second new players article this week, I will highlight several frequently asked questions about racing. Most of these topics I have discussed with a new or newer player over the years.

I am not having much luck winning races. How can I improve?

There is no real definitive answer for this question, but I can offer several tips to help you improve. If you are in the new player status, then race in trial park more. These races normally have easier and sometimes unfilled fields. If you are not a new player anymore you can still use some tips to help you earn money. In the search box, click the unfilled races tab. An unfilled race has less than 5 horses and most times you will have some guaranteed purse money. Another helpful hint is to race your horse in the correct type of races. If you have a horse who hasn’t won a race in its career, then enter it into a maiden race. Don’t enter your horse that hasn’t won into a NW5 race, it will be running against horses that could have already won 4 races in their lifetime.

Why race in claiming races if you can possibly lose your horse?

If your horse can’t compete at a high level there is nothing wrong with running them in some claiming races. Generally these fields are easier and people enter more lower quality horses into these claiming races. If your horse gets claimed then it is still a benefit. Say for example your solid, who wasn’t running well in non-claiming races, is entered into a $10,000 claiming race. If he gets claimed for $10,000 great you just made some great money, if he doesn’t get claimed then your solid still has a better chance of winning than in other non-claiming type races.

Should I race my horse in stakes races?

If you are a new or junior player and there are ‘new player only stakes’ or ‘junior player only stakes’ then if the horse has shown some ability on the track; I would say absolutely. On the other hand if you have a horse that is 4 years old and has only earned $23,000 on the track, putting him into a G1 stakes race is probably not a good idea.

I got a stakes horse and he turned out to be junk. What happened?

Welcome to my world. I have purchased horses for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions and on the sales page and they have turned out to be duds. If you have a horse that isn’t performing well, try dropping them in level. As an example, if you have a horse that was winning listed stakes races and hasn’t done well in the last three races; try racing them in allowance type races.

My win percent is only … is this good or bad?

The win percent and OTB percent is something that I don’t put too much stock into. This generally only tells if you are entering horses into good fields. In addition, if you race two horses in one race, statistically your win percent will drop. If you are picking up steady paychecks and winning or placing in the money at several races, then you are probably doing good.

I have a horse that isn’t doing well, should I change surfaces?

My answer for this is pretty straightforward. NO. If you have a turf router and his parents are both turf routers, don’t send him to a dirt sprint race. Keep your horse in the same surface as possible. Now if you have a turf router that does better at 1-1/4 mile than 1-1/16 mile, then race him at 1-1/4 if possible. Always remember that sometimes a horse has his (or her) best races behind them. Maybe if your 7 year old gelding isn’t doing well, it might be time for them to quit racing

I hope this in some way can be beneficial to a new or newer player. Just keep at it and you will eventually start winning some races and earning some money. Good luck.

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