Originally Posted by
str
When dealing with first time starters, the standard morning line is 8-1. That is the starting point. From there, the linesmaker can adjust either way according to what they "know" or what they have heard. That said, everybody loves to hear about a firster and as a result, they are talked about much more than any other type starter around the track as well as with fans.
In a place like NY, firsters will always be the buzz mainly because of the cost of many of them. So if you see Kiaran's horse show up at 4-1 and Chad's horse show up at 8-1 in the morning line, when typically the opposite would be true, you can be confident that the talk around the clockers stand is on Kiaran's horse. Chad's is not bad, and JBEX is right to point out that the horse is probably best suited for a bit more ground and probably training for the bigger picture. Like as soon as next out if it is longer. Watch for blinkers, lasix "on" if they are not already. Your highlighted quote is the key. They DID know something.
And you will find out what might have happened when the 3 does start. Lets see if it starts at a mile instead. Who knows for sure but do try and follow it. It might very well lead to cashing a ticket when placed at the right time.
One question; was there a rolling double and if so, did you check and see what the payouts were on the eventual winner? If there was, I would venture to guess that it pointed right towards the winner.
Getting back to the 8-1 starting point on firsters, sometimes they will be listed higher than 8-1. What to do with those? Well, it is typically a lesser named trainer or one that does not put emphasis on winning first out. If there are multiple firsters in a race, they can't all be 8-1 so the linesmaker has to move some off that number albeit higher or lower. Or, it can be a horse with terribly slow works. But... as we all learned from Maximum Security, not every horse shows up in the morning.
And jumping off topic for a second, speaking of Max. Security, looks like it's deja Vu all over again as Yogi would say, with him running in a prep in the Bold Ruler and then a later stake like the Cigar or the Clark. He will probably be odds on and will only be about 80%. Let's see if someone else in the field is razor sharp although not as purely talented and can nail him late or outrun him early and pay a nice number. Make no mistake though, Max. Sec. is a darn nice horse. But won't be more than 80% of himself and will NOT be pushed all out to get the win if it comes down to it. Winning will not be the main objective. It will be 3rd behind getting a race into him and doing everything they can to allow him to come out of the race in fine shape. They do NOT want an all out exhausting race to occur.
I hope that we can continue to talk about firsters when necessary so you can gain understanding and with that, confidence in analyzing firsters. Yes, they are always a puzzle for everyone. But having at least some level of confidence and beginning to understand the ins and outs of how it all comes together can really help.
There are other subtleties as well with firsters, such as an odd rider choice, either an upgrade or a downgrade. Both have a story behind them in almost all cases.
Running two turns first out is a big clue towards the lack of natural speed a horse might or might not have. Might not, in most of these cases.
Knowing who runs first out almost always with lasix or blinkers and having the opposite occur. THAT can be big info. Have to check and see if it's a homebred though. Some homebred owners ask to try without lasix until later.
I know it sounds like a ton of info, and it is, but it eventually becomes a "feel" thing as much as it does pure reading. When that happens for you, you know you have arrived in a new place when it comes to firsters. That's because to " feel" it, you must have a lot of confidence in it. And in time, it WILL come.
Keep me posted and please feel free to ask as much as you feel necessary about it to get where you need to be with firsters.
All the best Mr. GandT !