NIGHT RACES vs DAYTIME RACES

[SPEEDHORSE]

I was just wondering if anybody here have experience in handicapping night races and day races. If yes, which horse would you bet, Horse A with a 90 BSF earned in sunny (34 degree celsius) daytime race at 7 furlongs or Horse B with a 90 BSF earned in a night time race at 7 furlongs? Assuming race today will be held in the afternoon or race today will be held in the evening?

[Saratoga_Mike]

Originally Posted by SPEEDHORSE

I was just wondering if anybody here have experience in handicapping night races and day races. If yes, which horse would you bet, Horse A with a 90 BSF earned in sunny (34 degree celsius) daytime race at 7 furlongs or Horse B with a 90 BSF earned in a night time race at 7 furlongs? Assuming race today will be held in the afternoon or race today will be held in the evening?

With a few exceptions, most horses transition very smoothly between day and night races (e.g., check out horses shipping from LRL to CT or Penn). If both horses earned 90 Beyers, it shouldn't matter if it's sunny or not (if the sun created more heat, which aided final times, the Beyer would already reflect that). There can be some additional issues with shadows in night racing, but that's rarely a problem.

[markgoldie]

I am familiar with an effect that applies in harness racing, but have not noticed it so much in thoroughbred racing.

In h-racing, since most tracks race at night, it is often difficult to get a best performance the first time over a daylight track. There may be multiple reasons for this, including the fact that the effort put forth by a horse in daylight training and qulaifying races, which are non-competitive and rarely strenuous, is sub-maximal. And so these horses have been taught, if you will, that night racing is when they must get serious.

Years ago when I was plying my craft from the betting parlor at Freehold Raceway, there was a standard operating rule regarding second-over-the-track horses who came from night tracks. They routinely improved 2-3 lengths in their second start and this effect was far greater than second-over-the-course at any other tracks. Don't know if this still holds because I don't look at Freehold anymore.

[SPEEDHORSE]

Thanks for your immediate responses Bros Markgoldie and Saratoga Mike. The reason why I posted this was because I never take into consideration past performances made during daytime nor night time when handicapping a race here in the Philippines. The answers both of you gave were assurances that there is no significant advantage to gained from this situation, except for some horses who regress when running in the afternoon sun due to physical ailment.

[46zilzal]

We have a mixed day night meeting every year for the past 30.

NO DIFFERENCE other than the occasional jumping shadows.