from my boy rick needham

An interesting phenomenon occurs on the NYRA racing circuit when the weather turns cold in the winter, as it is not just the "vacationers" who flock Southward to escape New York's chilly blasts, but a huge percentage of the circuit's top horsemen and equine counterparts are found working their way down I-95 into Florida to join the annual crop of "snowbirds" who focus on the action at Calder and Gulfstream Park. What is "left behind" is a hearty group of trainers and jockeys who brave the snowy, icy, and rainy conditions that batter "The Big A" in December, January and February, but also provide us "punters" for some exceptional winter wagering opportunities, often providing nice payouts to the folks who have learned a modicum of geometry in their "school years!"
Shortly after Aqueduct opens her ample doors for winter racing, the action moves to their inner track, which is arguably the finest "winterized" racing surface in the world. It is not uncommon to see racing cards cancelled at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts, Philadelphia Park and Penn National in Pennsylvania on a common day, yet a quick look at the simulcast screens shows racing from Ozone Park in full swing, despite similar wet conditions. Unlike the other NYRA tracks, the inner "bandbox" at "The Big A" is a mile in length, which is a full furlong shorter than Saratoga's and their main summer/spring/fall track, and a full half mile shorter than the racing surface at nearby Belmont Park. The small circumference creates a "bullring condition" in that tight first turn ... not as bad as the short tracks such as Charles Town and Fairplex, but tight enough to give an advantage to the horse player with a little bit of "savvy" to match their "common sense." While you do not need to fully understand the Physics definitions of Centripetal and Centrifugal forces that play on a jockey and horse at full speed at the apex of this turn, you should pay important attention to the following three concepts, especially in 6.0 furlong sprints (Winter sprints at Aqueduct consists only of 6.0 and 5½ furlong races).

EARLY SPEED

POST POSITION

THE SKILL LEVEL OF THE JOCKEY

Of the two concepts .. perhaps early speed is the most important, as getting to that corner at, or near the lead is often the key to "Big A" wins ... an entry with a mid-pack post position (3-6) with great early speed often makes it to my "exotic dance cards" on a nearly "automatic basis" with little regard to morning line or post time odds ... that entry has the great "geometric angle" to the turn's apex which is an advantage that he or she will enjoy at no other racing facility in New York! Entries with inside post positions with great early speed also require the skills of a creative jockey, as those "Physics Forces" noted above will tend to force the horse to drift outward in the turn, often causing bumping, lost strides, and unmanaged extra distances!

TrackMaster Hint
On your "Snapshot Screen" - position your pointer at the top of the Pace Early column, click once to highlight the column, and then click on the "sort upwards" icon (the "up staircase") ... this will sort the entries in the field, putting the entry with the BEST EARLY SPEED on top! Check the entry's post position, and if there is a significant advantage over the 2nd best early speed entry .. SPRINT to the window! In terms of jockeys and trainers, we are at a disadvantage, since most of the "Big Names" of NYRA are slowly tanning in the South Florida Sun! Jorge Chavez and Rich Migliore have gone South to ride, as have trainers like John Kimmel, Gary Sciacca and James Bond. However, keep a "peeled eye" on this latter group of NYRA trainers, as they have left some "speed burners" behind in their "reduced stables." This is also a great time to get to see some young riders ... Shaun Bridgmohan for example scored 45 wins last season (a reminder that I wrote this in 2001), and finished in 5th place in the "Inner Track Jockey Standings" as an apprentice last season ... this year's young jockey colony includes possible future "super stars" such as Norberto Arroyo Jr. There are of course, a few trainers that opt to stay in Ozone Park rather than "sipping the bubbly" on North Beach. We actually have quite an advantage here, as we can use their "experience factor" as a weapon against other trainers who have had limited starters on the inner track.

he Big A's "Resident Trainers"

* Joe Imperio
* Dom Galluscio
* Gary Contessa
* Gasper Moschera
* Richard Dutrow Jr
* Bruce Levine
* Leah Gyarmati

TrackMaster Hint
With a race opened, click on the Jockey/Trainer Icon, and then place your pointer over the ITM% (In The Money Percentage) column in the Jockey/Trainer subsection. Click once to highlight the column, and then use the "sort downward" icon. If you can find a Jockey/Trainer combo with more than 25 starts together, with a "board hit percentage" of +50% you will have a significant "experience advantage" as the majority of the J/T tandems at Aqueduct in the winter will have limited experience together. You may also want to click on the "Trainer Stat Icon" and then the "Recent" sub-icon. Take a look at the trainers' last 30 day performance scale. Look for trainers with more than 20 starts with a board hit percentage +50%!

Now .. repeat after me this "Ozone Park Mantra" ....

"Big A" - "Big A" - here's our need ...
Jockey - Trainer - Early Speed!

See 'ya at the cashier's window!