Handicap a horse race using speed figures alone and you will soon learn that speed figures are the most over rated and over bet factor in horse racing. Thanks to standardization and accuracy, speed figures do work to assess horses as well as any factor, but that doesn’t mean you can make a profit with them. On the other hand, if you know how to use them, it is a great place to begin.
Let’s say you are searching at a ,000 claiming race and trying to decide which horse is the fastest based on speed figures. At initial glance it seem that the 1 has the most speed because adding her speed figures for her last three races gives the highest total in the race. She is the morning line favorite and it appears she is the logical choice to win.
However, if you take the time to dig deeper into the race and make some adjustments to those speed figures, you could come across a excellent priced winner. For instance, the 2 is a horse dropping in class. Though the 2 has slower speed figures, she was facing tougher competition and faster early pace in each of her races. The question is, does her total for speed over the last three races clearly reflect her capability compared to the 1?
If she faced tougher competition, how must you adjust the speed figures? To the finest of my knowledge, there is no effortless to use, clearly defined method for adjusting speed figures according to pace figures. That might seem like bad news at initial, but it truly works in your favor. Because no 1 has discovered an simple formula, the handicappers who use speed figures do not try to adjust them for class or pace.
You can, nevertheless select races that you wish to develop your own figures for and then begin charting them. Let’s say you are going to develop your own method for adjusting these pace figures and speed figures. Initial you must handicap every claiming race then download the charts. Look at each winner and compare its speed figure total to its pace figures in its last three races. After 20 or far more races you will start to comprehend how the pace and speed figures work together and how to spot a horse that may not appear quite capable, based on its speed figure totals, but will surprise since of its pace advantage.
