 |
|
This document gives you:
A brief history of harness racing. Information
about the two gaits in harness racing. A bit of
handicapping info. Some lingo of the sport. How to
read the harness program.
The origins of the standardbred trace back to
Messenger, an English thoroughbred foaled in 1780 and
later exported to the United States. Messenger was the
great-grandsire of Hambletonian 10 to whom every
standardbred can trace his or her heritage. Thus
standardbreds are a relatively new breed, dating back
just over 200 years.
The term "standardbred" originated because the
early trotters (pacers would not come into favor until
much later) were required to reach a certain standard
for the mile distance in order to be registered as
part of the new breed. The mile is still the standard
distance of harness races.
The first standardbred races were contested along
roads, with men challenging their friends to see who
had the swifter steed. Often the streets of major
cities were cleared and races conducted -- that's why
so many American cities have a Race Street.
Over the years, sportsmen came to recite the
names of certain champions with awe -- Flora Temple,
the "bob-tailed nag" of Stephen Foster's Camptown
Races; Goldsmith Maid, who won 350 heats in her short
career; world champions Maud S., and Nancy Hanks.
They were all trotters, but pacers soon began to
gain acceptance with the sport's first two-minute mile
recorded in 1897 by the pacer Star Pointer.
The horse who popularized pacing was Dan Patch,
one of the fastest (1:551/4 for the mile) and most
popular standardbreds ever.
Harness racing continued to flourish until World
War I, after which the sport suffered two lean
decades. But world records by pacer Billy Direct and
trotter Greyhound in 1938 signaled a rebirth, and the
sport began to move forward in 1940 when a group of
businessmen took the heretofore rural sport and set it
in the bright lights of New York City as a pari-mutuel
activity. It was years before the new track --
Roosevelt Raceway on Long Island-- made money, but the
nighttime "sulkies" soon caught on in many
metropolitan areas, and today harness racing is firmly
established as one of the biggest of big-league
sports.
The past few years have seen major improvements
in racetrack construction and maintenance, in sulky
and harness design, and in the breed itself with the
legendary Niatross heralding a new era with a 1:49.2
time-trial in 1980--the first harness horse to break
1:50.
Gaits
Standardbred racing is contested on two gaits --
the trot and pace.
Trotters move with a diagonal gait: the left
front and right rear legs move in unison, as do the
right front and left rear. It requires much skill by
the trainer to get a trotter to move perfectly at high
speeds, even though the trotting gait is a natural one
in the animal world. But horsemen and fans agree that
there are few things more beautiflil than a trotting
horse in flill stride.
Pacers, on the other hand, move the legs on one
side of their body in tandem: left front and rear, and
right front and rear. This action shows why pacers are
often called "side-wheelers." Pacers, which account
for about 80 percent of the performers in harness
racing today, are aided in maintaining their gait by
plastic loops called hobbles, which keep their legs
moving in synchronization.
Actually, a third gait often manifests itself in
harness racing -- running. But a horse who runs, or
goes "off-stnde" in the parlance of the sport, must
return to his natural gait or face disqualification.
Handicapping.
The first step in successfully picking a winner
at (or "handicapping") the harness races is becoming
familiar with reading the racing program. Each program
has a section explaining the information format used
at that particular track.
Probably the best place to start when
handicapping standardbreds is time. Since over 99
percent of all harness races are conducted at the one
mile distance, valid comparisons can be made among
horses.
However, it's just not enough to say that the
horse who raced a mile in 2:03 last week will beat the
horse who raced in 2:04. There are many other factors
involved.
Post position. Generally, the closer a horse
starts to the inside rail of the track (especially on
smaller tracks), the better is his chance of winning.
At the start, horses must either "leave" (start
quickly) to get a good position or else find a place
on the rail to avoid racing on the outside of other
horses.
When racing on the outside, the horse is said to
be "parked out" and he loses ground on every turn. A
horse on the inside has a better chance to get to the
rail or quickly get a good position.
Driver. The top drivers at any track have two big
advantages in the sulky: 1) They usually are the best
planners, knowing how to maximize the chances of their
horses by using shrewd racing tactics, and 2) they
have an innate ability to keep a horse trying his best
until the finish. The top drivers at each track are
usually listed in the race program.
Consistency. A horse who has the winning habit,
either in terms of races won or money won, deserves
extra consideration when trying to pick a wineer. An
inconsistent performer, especially one who breaks
stride often, can be risky.
Class. A horse who has raced adequately against
better foes may find his way into the winner's circle
tonight, while a horse who has beaten inferior foes
may find tougher horses not to his liking. A fairly
reliable way of checking class is comparing the purses
of the previous races and the present race.
Sharpness. Horses are not machines and their
abilities wax and wane. The alert fan can detect these
changes in the racing program.
A former classy horse who shows a series of dull
efforts may simply be worn out. Similaryly a horse at
the peak of competitive sharpness may be able to
handle foes he could only dream about in the past.
Signs of a sharp horse include the ability to
overcome racing on the outside (a "parked out trip"),
a tough battle on the lead, and the making up of much
ground in the stretch.
The balancing of "class" and "sharpness" is one
of the keys to successfiil handicapping.
Lingo:
BACKSTRETCH.
1) The straightaway of the track opposite the
grandstand;
2) The stable area of a track, often located
behind the race track's backstretch.
BREAK:
Occurs when a trotter or pacer goes off his gait
and resorts to running or galloping.
BOXED IN:
Surrounded by horses and pinned against the hub
rail.
COVERED UP:
When a horse has other horses in front of him
during a race.
DAM:
The mother of a horse.
DEAD HEAT:
A tie for a finishing position, officially called
when the judges cannot distinguish two horses using a
photo-finish camera.
GROOM:
The caretaker of a horse, responsible for the
daily care of the horse.
GARDEN SPOT:
The second position along the rail is called the
garden spot. This is because the horse in front is
cutting the wind for the second horse, while the
second horse is still close enough to make a strong
bid down the stretch.
GREEN HORSE:
A horse that has not raced, or has raced very few
times.
HOME STRETCH:
Straightaway of the track directly in front of
the grandstand.
INQUIRY:
A review of the conduct of a race, asked for by
the judges. An inquiry light on the tote board appears
in this situation.
JOGGING:
Much the same as human jogging. Slow, steady
trips of a track.
MAIDEN:
Any horse, male or female, who has never won a
purse.
OBJECTION:
When a driver puts in a claim of foul. The race
is reviewed by the judges with the parties concerned.
An objection light on the tote board appears in this
situation.
PARKED OUT:
When a horse is forced to race on the outside,
because the positions of his opponents prevent him
from reaching the rail.
PHOTO FINISH:
When horses finish with '/2-length of each other,
requiring a photo in order for the judges to determine
the higher finisher.
SCRATCH:
When a horse is withdrawn from a race.
SIRE:
The father of a horse
TRAINER:
Person responsible for the racing condition of a
horse. Often, in harness racing, the trainer is also
the driver.
WAGERING TERMS:
WIN:
Selecting the horse that finishers first.
PLACE:
The selected horse must finish first or second.
SHOW:
The selected horse must finish in the top three.
DAILY DOUBLE:
Picking the winner of two consecutive races. (At
most tracks, it must be the first two races.)
EXACTA:
Selecting the first and second finishers in a
race in their exact order. (Also known as a Perfecta)
QUINELLA:
Selecting the first two finishers, regardless of
order.
TRIFECTA:
Selecting the top three finishers in exact order.
WHEELING:
Coupling a horse with every other horse in the
race to win an Exacta or Quinella or with every horse
in another race to win a Daily Double.
BOXING:
Selecting three horses and betting on them in all
possible Trifecta combinations.
AN ENTRY:
Two or more horses generally sharing the same
owner or trainer that must be raced on the same ticket
when entered in the same race.
THE FIELD:
Often, track totalisators can only handle 10
betting interests. When there are more than 10 horses
in a single race, the extra horses are often offered
as a single ticket.
MORNING LINE:
The probable odds on each horse iri a race as
calculated by an experienced track handicapper.
HANDLE:
The entire amount of money wagered on a race,
nightly racing program, or complete season.
SEX/AGE:
(All horses become a year older on January 1,
regardless of the actual date of their birth)
WEANLlNG:
All horses are considered weanlings from the time
they are taken from their mothers until their first
birthday (January 1).
YEARLING:
All horses are called yearlings from age one
until age two.
STALLION:
A male horse, generally retired from racing, that
acts as stud at a breeding farm.
GELDING:
An altered (or desexed) male of any age.
COLT:
A male up to three years old.
HORSE:
A male of at least four years of age.
FILLY:
A female up to three years old
MARE:
A female of at least four years of age.
CONDITION SYSTEM:
CONDITIONED RACE:
Race in which eligibility is based on factors
such as age, sex, races won, or purses won.
INVITATIONAL:
Also known as an Open or Free-For-All race, this
is a race for the top horses in the area.
STAKE RACE:
A race requiring that a series of payments be
made, beginning well in advance, in order to maintain
eligibility in a race.
EARLY/LATE CLOSER:
Races requiring payments that begin much closer
to the actual date of the race than a stake race.
CLAIMING RACE:
A race in which the entrants can be purchased for
a specified amount.
End of document
COPYRIGHT © 1996-2005 BOWIENET®,INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
BOWIENET® REGISTERED TRADEMARK/SERVICE MARK, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED