One important factor in Australian racing and I believe other foreign tracks is how does the horse run on that track. Every track over there is quite different than any other and horses for courses really applies. The going (heavy, soft, good) also play a big role. Stay away from maiden races, there always seems to be a steam horse and outside of that horse it's a grab bag. In order for me handicapping these races:
- Record at course
- Record at distance
- Track condition
- Class
- Weight
I find winners looking at just this information and long shots that can fill in the underneath spots. I found a great app on my phone called Racenet.au
It has a ton of information on every horse, jockey/trainer stats etc.