The horses are in the starting gate, and you have just bet number 2.
You think your horse has a great chance to win the race, and when they make a move from the back of the field and are passing horses with ease, you are feeling confident. Then a traffic jam occurs in front of your horse, they lose all momentum and ultimately, the race by a nose.
Trip handicapping is the study of a horse's trip in a race from start to finish. Anything can happen in a horse race; a slow start, no running room or crucial ground loss and all levels of handicappers, whether you are a casual player or a frequent bettor, have access to tools that can help describe how a race was run.
The comment line from a horse's recent races is an abbreviated note from the full race chart notes which can be found on your home track's website, or
www.equibase.com or
www.drf.com .
Each racetrack has a chartcaller employed by Equibase to write detailed notes about each horse's journey throughout the race. The better chartcallers will provide an excellent picture of a horse's trip.
Below is an example of the short comments in the Daily Racing Form/Equibase program:
Veri Gizmo's race on July 2, 2023, her second carer start was a victory and the short comment states “blocked, much the best”.
You can watch the race replay
here, and replays of every race at Woodbine on their
YouTube Channel.
This filly overcame a lot to win, and she was a good bet to run well again in her next race. At 7 to 2 odds, Veri Gizmo came right back and won on July 22.
The below image is an example of the full chart notes from Equibase for race eight at Woodbine on July 23, the G2 Connaught Cup.
This was a very competitive race, and several horses had some bad luck during the running.
The write ups for Churchtown (#2) and Old Chestnut (#9) describe troubled trips for both horses in the seven furlong grass stakes race.
The chartcaller simply said 'eventuful trip' for Churchtown. Both horses should be considered horses to play the next time they are in the entries.
You can watch the Connaught Cup
here.
Many horseplayers will take the time to look up the replays of races each day at their favourite racetrack and jot down notes on horses who may have had unlucky trips.
Here are two horses coming off slightly difficult trips who are racing this weekend.
WOODBINE, SUNDAY JULY 30, 2023 - Race 6 – Thunder Bay Stakes.
#2 ANAM CARA had plenty of trouble in her previous race, the Georgian Bay Stakes when a rival in front of her on the turn caused a traffic jam and a chain reaction. Anam Cara might have been able to finish closer in the race without having that trouble.
Also look at #1 SOUPER SINCLAIR, who did not have any interference while racing behind Anam Cara but finished very strongly through the stretch run. She now moves from a 5 furlong race out to 6 furlongs.
Race Replay
FORT ERIE, TUES AUGUST 1, 2023 - RACE 4
#1 DYNAMIC MISSION had some subtle trouble in his latest on the turf at Fort Erie. While racing in a stalking position on the rail early in the 7 furlong event, he ran into traffic trouble and was shuffled all the way back to last place. The rider then had to angle Dynamic Mission to the outside and the horse over-corrected a bit and ended up losing a lot of ground turning into the stretch.
This gelding has a cozy, inside post position again for this grass race and he is worth a look as a longshot play.
You can view the Fort Erie replays at
www.forterieracing.com.
Good luck with your wagers!
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