How to Use Past Performance Content Lines in Betting
Thoroughbred horse races are live, organic events run by powerful animals racing within close proximity of one another over a distance of ground. In short, there are a lot of variables that can effect how a horse runs in a particular race. Along with watching replays and taking notes of races that are being run live, the comment lines found in the past performances are invaluable tools for understanding how a horse might have been compromised in one of its previous starts.
Comment Lines Tell How a Horse Ran in Past Races
Located in the far right section of each horse's past performance box, comment lines are simply very abbreviated descriptions of how a horse ran on a given day. Let's consider the following comments and interpret how these descriptions might be of use when analyzing a horse's effort:
Comment lines are a play-by-play of a race
Swg 7w stretch: At the very least, this brief comment tells us that the horse in question was seven horse-lengths wide entering the stretch, which obviously resulted in spotting his rivals significant ground. Considering the horse finished second by just a half length, it is entirely reasonable to conclude the horse was the best on that day and his effort should be considered even more favorably. With a better trip against the same level of competition in his next start, this runner would warrant plenty of extra consideration.
Blocked, steadied 3/8: Like the example above, this runner was also greatly compromised by a bad trip. The horse was a come-from-behind type that simply found himself behind a wall of horses in the stretch with no room for the jockey to maneuver into the clear. In search of racing room, the jockey was forced to "steady" - a horse racing term used to describe what happens when a jockey is forced to pull the reins and stop a horse's forward momentum to avoid trouble.
A valuable handicapping tool
Despite their brevity and need to be decoded, the brief comment lines found in past performances are revealing pieces of information that must be considered by the horse player. In many instances, this extra bit of information can help the horse player undertand why a horse didn't perform up to his capability or provide contextual clues as to the underlying quality of a performance.
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