Watching race replays

[CBYRacer]

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate hearing your point of view on how to best watch race replays for a card to balance usefulness and efficiency. On the one hand I would love to be able to watch each horse's last race. On the other, it takes a lot of time and leaves me wondering whether there's a more efficient way to glean insights.

How do you all approach this?

Thanks!

[therussmeister]

Well, I don't watch replays, but if I were to start, I would get my feet wet by only watching maiden races. It seems like there's a lot more stuff happening in those races than in other races.

Then if I took a shine to it I might expand to the other races.

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by CBYRacer

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate hearing your point of view on how to best watch race replays for a card to balance usefulness and efficiency. On the one hand I would love to be able to watch each horse's last race. On the other, it takes a lot of time and leaves me wondering whether there's a more efficient way to glean insights.

How do you all approach this?

Thanks!

For efficiency, if you're watching the races on a card live, try to watch for more than just who you bet on. Then, in the few minutes during and after a race, make a mental note of any particular effort that stands out (not just obvious trouble but a horse dueling between horses and then holding on gamely while the other duelers fade, or a horse showing unexpected speed or closing ability against the pace of the race, etc.). Then you can go back later and watch the race again and confirm your original opinions. If there's a horse that looks like a bet back or a possible favorite to avoid, then you record that info and look for their next start.

Of course it would be best to watch multiple replays of every race and take notes on everything that stands out, but for efficiency I'd do what I said in the first paragraph.

[mikesal57]

Originally Posted by CBYRacer

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate hearing your point of view on how to best watch race replays for a card to balance usefulness and efficiency. On the one hand I would love to be able to watch each horse's last race. On the other, it takes a lot of time and leaves me wondering whether there's a more efficient way to glean insights.

How do you all approach this?

Thanks!

When I watch races...the hardest thing to do is take your eyes off YOUR horse

You need to not do that...First Lesson

Second...While the race is on.....

I note the leaders and whos at the rear...because these trips will be the hardest trips

When the race is over you can then put the winner to where he was in the race

Then you can compare other horses to him and make notes on that other horse.

Also to keep notes on wide trips and trouble/blocked horses...

Yep..not easy but it can be rewarding...

After I note a horse that could improve from this race...I put him in a "Horse Watch" provided website that will email you when his race is coming

Good Luck
Mike

[CBYRacer]

Great ideas so far, guys. Thanks!

[ultracapper]

You're collecting information watching replays, and unfortunately, that takes time. You'll start noticing that what your mind eye views a race to look like by looking at the pps may look very different on the track. I find race replays to be more revealing than anything you'll find on paper, and therefore I spend more time watching them than processing info from pps.

[CBYRacer]

Originally Posted by ultracapper

You're collecting information watching replays, and unfortunately, that takes time. You'll start noticing that what your mind eye views a race to look like by looking at the pps may look very different on the track. I find race replays to be more revealing than anything you'll find on paper, and therefore I spend more time watching them than processing info from pps.

I agree. Are there certain things you look for that will tell you if the horse is set to perform well in his next race? For example, big middle move with a fade at the end? Nice stretch run? Ridden out? I would be curious if you don't mind sharing what are some of the big visual keys that you've found most potent.

[Nitro]

I realize that many players rely on watching race replays. Of course at times you might catch a runner that experiences some trouble anywhere in the race. However, I wouldn’t get carried away with those runners. Horses that are involved in those type of running problems are very often their own worst enemies. They also tend to expend more energy than necessary in an attempt to try and get back in the race.

I would be more concerned as to how they came out of a troubled race and also reflect on that when considering the type of race they’ve been entered into next. I’ve been a big fan of an animal’s pre-race physicality as a major contributor to a horse’s performance in spite of its past performance (good or bad).

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by CBYRacer

I agree. Are there certain things you look for that will tell you if the horse is set to perform well in his next race? For example, big middle move with a fade at the end? Nice stretch run? Ridden out? I would be curious if you don't mind sharing what are some of the big visual keys that you've found most potent.

My two favorites are horses that are pulling down the backstretch, and horses that are still running in the stretch after the jock has quit asking. Any signs that the horse wants to run are good.

[CBYRacer]

Originally Posted by ultracapper

My two favorites are horses that are pulling down the backstretch, and horses that are still running in the stretch after the jock has quit asking. Any signs that the horse wants to run are good.

Stupid question, does pulling mean the jockey has a strong hold on the reins but the horse is fighting it and wants to go forward?

[mikesal57]

Originally Posted by CBYRacer

Stupid question, does pulling mean the jockey has a strong hold on the reins but the horse is fighting it and wants to go forward?

Honestly, I'm on the opposite of that.....

Everytime I see a strangle hold on a horse...he loses...

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by CBYRacer

Stupid question, does pulling mean the jockey has a strong hold on the reins but the horse is fighting it and wants to go forward?

You definitely don't want to see the jock and horse fighting, but yea, there are those times you can tell the horse wants to go, and the jock is telling him no. The horse is listening and behaving, but it's obvious he'd rather be going faster. Like Mike said, if the horse is fighting the jock, that's not good, but if it's behaving, it's a great sign. When I see that in a route, and then they cut the horse back 3 or 4 weeks later, if that horse is in a field it can compete with, you're on to something.

I like the horse that keeps running in the stretch after the jock has thrown in the towel even more. Usually that horse was ready, but either the race didn't set up right, or the competition was a little too stiff, and things just didn't work out. It's a lot more subtle, but if you can spot those, because of the subtlety of it, they can be hidden gems.

Honestly, there are a lot of other things also. I could go on and on. But now you're getting into literally hours of replays per card, and the problem with that is, you could watch the last race of 50 horses, and not see a thing worth noting. That's the drawback of replays being the main efforts of my handicapping. I can watch horse after horse after horse after horse, and there will be nothing. Then I might start making up things just so I see something. Head games.

[mikesal57]

Originally Posted by ultracapper

You definitely don't want to see the jock and horse fighting, but yea, there are those times you can tell the horse wants to go, and the jock is telling him no. The horse is listening and behaving, but it's obvious he'd rather be going faster. Like Mike said, if the horse is fighting the jock, that's not good, but if it's behaving, it's a great sign. When I see that in a route, and then they cut the horse back 3 or 4 weeks later, if that horse is in a field it can compete with, you're on to something.

I like the horse that keeps running in the stretch after the jock has thrown in the towel even more. Usually that horse was ready, but either the race didn't set up right, or the competition was a little too stiff, and things just didn't work out. It's a lot more subtle, but if you can spot those, because of the subtlety of it, they can be hidden gems.

Honestly, there are a lot of other things also. I could go on and on. But now you're getting into literally hours of replays per card, and the problem with that is, you could watch the last race of 50 horses, and not see a thing worth noting. That's the drawback of replays being the main efforts of my handicapping. I can watch horse after horse after horse after horse, and there will be nothing. Then I might start making up things just so I see something. Head games.

Like UC says.....its a lot of work but try this for starters....

if your at your pc and betting races....practice on those races , your betting it anyway...watch the re-play right after the race....note things that can tip off a better race for that horse next time....

I did this quite often and you do pick up a few next out winners..
Mike

[ultracapper]

One last quick thing. When you see blocked in the pps, watch that replay. Many times, they'll be doing nothing more than drafting, or maybe they were stuck behind dying horses and the horse finds a seem and moves forward, but it's doing nothing more than passing horses that have given up. Blocked is the most over rated comment in the pps. It's lazy reporting 3/4 of the time.

[Tom]

I don't use replays a lot, but when I do, I like to have the chart to follow along with. I get the BRIS charts, alternate view, so that it show the running lines as in the PPs and read the notes before I get to the video, so that I have an idea what went on and when to pay attention to anything. I also like to have the pace and speed figs so I know what race shape I am looking at. Note-EB also has the running lines PPs in their charts.