Originally Posted by
str
Q. so it's more excusable in your opinion for lightly raced 3yo's form to fluctuate until it settles at the right level and distance.
A. Maybe not so much with a cheaper horse who is running at the same level but for these high end horses who are asked to move around and constantly change distances, tracks, surfaces, levels of competition, riders maybe, etc. it can be a lot for plenty of them.
They are trying to get to the Derby and that is such a tough road to go down. Especially when it is rushed. Takes a special horse to be able to stand up to that IMO.
Q. not automatic plays, , but when other things come together on the particular horse you like?
A. Sure. After the fact, we will see plenty of horses that run improved races and look back and say, now I see it. Something they disliked in their last race or really liked in this one where they ran better.
I don't think you can go looking for that. It's just something that when you read the pp's or watch a replay, it might show up. It very well could only be a hunch but when the horse improves off a not so hot effort , or, regresses off a great trip, it can become apparent so as to better gauge the horse next out.
As we know, it is always a guessing game to some extent. But if you can try and get a feel prior to the race one way or another, you will be wrong on some for sure, but you will also be right on some. And for those, from that point forward, you have a solid inside track on that particular horse, at least for the next race or two. After that, so many things can happen, you often have to recalculate.
I guess that what makes the game so tough and yet compelling at the same time. It is always in motion and moving around. It never becomes automatic.
Nobody is right all the time. But if you can be right just sometimes on a horse that pays a nice price, or even a horse that was bet way down that you played against, it is that, that will pay for many mistakes we all will make when handicapping.
Such a tough game that when you were wrong in seven out of the ten races, you feel good about it because you had three winners.
Hope that makes sense.