The evolution of the harness horse towards an animal which increasingly looks and acts like their thoroughbred cousins has created some new changes in layoff patterns as well. In past years, a very strong performance first-out after a layoff was virtually always a good sign of things to come. However, this is no longer the case as harness horses are bouncing more and more like thoroughbreds. For example, consider the new meet about to open at the BIG M. Horses who have been laid off and who come right out with a huge effort, particularly cutting miles or racing first over will very often regress sharply in the next outing. This effect is a bit stronger on younger horses than the old veterans, but its a good strategy to bet AGAINST these horses in their next out, particularly if they are the favorite.
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