The Secret To Harness Racing Handicapping Articles | Horse Betting

By: Richard Bleuze

The Secret To Harness Racing Handicapping

I decided to write this article on harness racing handicapping since I get a lot of emails wanting more information about harness racing handicapping.  Understanding harness racing handicapping means that you are able to pick winners in most races. 

Below are the what I find most harness racing handicappers do to make their selections.  This is by no means a complete outline of the many facets of harness racing handicapping, however, it presents you with the keys to making your picks.

The first step is to know the past performance program of the horses in a race.  You will find all the information you need to know about the horses that are racing: where they raced, their times, who drove them, and how they finished.  At first, you might be overwhelmed with all the information, however, once you know how to read it, it will be second nature to you. 

Most harness racing forms have a listing of top drivers, leading trainers, and winning post positions.

Handicapping is not really a long and involved process.  Although, at first it will be.  But, it will payoff for you in the long run.   I will give you the basics, and you take it from there.  Before long, you will be able to select your fair share of winners in a harness race by knowing the basics.

In general, you will find that harness horses tend to race against other horses of comparable ability, and it is the job of the race secretary to design races that will bring together well matched and competitive fields.  After a while, you will know the horses since most of the harness horses that are in a race are often found at the same harness horse race track.

As a rule, race types fall into various "classes," such as: conditioned races (grouping done by a horses earnings and other factors); claiming races (grouping done by estimated value of the horse), or "feature" events (Open, Invitationals, Stakes, etc.).

The best way to judge whether a horse is moving "up" or "down" in class is to compare the purse of the latest race that the harness horse was driven with the purse of the race today.  Usually, comparing the purse at the same horse race track is a useful barometer.  On the otherhand, comparing purses from one track to another is a less reliable guide.

As a rule, horses dropping in class are generally a good bet if they meet other handicapping criteria.  This means that if a horse is dropping in class, they are meeting softer competition in the harness race.

However, horses moving up in class, still rate consideration.  Especially, if they have been winning impressively or posting fast times while facing horses in a lower class.  In addition, do not give up on younger horses who have made only a few starts, as their true class might not yet be established.

A harness horse's performances in past races will show how he has been racing.  This is known as the harness horse's form.  You are able to find this out by looking at the most recent races - running positions (where the horse was in a race: 1st, 6th, etc.) are the indicators of form.

In general horses tend to fall into two main categories: those that race on or near the lead and those that race farther back and come on strongly at the finish.

Most front running horses that display good form show that they can hold the lead all the way, while the latter type horses show come from behind rushes to either win or just miss.

Thus, look for changes in form from the recent races.  If a front runner's past performance starts to show he can not hold the lead all the way, he is best not to place a bet on that horse.  However, when each past performaneline shows that the horse is getting closer to going "wire-to-wire", he is coming back into form, and is worth a bet.

Sometimes  a dull appearing performanace by a horse may be the result of a sloppy, muddy, etc. track or simply of having raced against horses of superior class.

In addition, horses must race frequently to keep their form, and they compete on an average of every six to ten days.  If a horse has had a long layoff this is more often than not a bad sign.

An important handicapping concept to understand is the horse's individual quarter-miles times.  A horse that has a fast quarter should get extra points in handicapping.

Know the leading drivers at the track that you plan to place a bet.  As a rule, a driver listed by the Universal Driver Rating of at least 300 is  considered driving very well. 

However, the most useful piece of information in the driver statistics is driver winning percentage.  Thus, drivers who win their races should earn  extra handicapping points.  In addition, a harness horse that receives a switch from an unranked driver to a top rate driver should get extra handicapping points.

Drivers who are not listed among the leaders may still qualify as a possible bet if the harness horse passes other handicapping tests, AND the unranked driver has driven the harness horse successfully in the past.

In addition, do your homework on top trainers.  Usually top trainers have their horses in peak condition and ready to win.  As with drivers, isolate the trainers who have a high win percentage.

As a rule, harness horses with the inside post positions (numbers one through four) have an advantage, especially one half-mile tracks.

It is also important to check the racing style of a harness horse and figure out his likely racing position throughout the race.  If there are many harness horses whose past performance shows early speed in a race, they may wear themselves out fighting among themselves, and a fast-finishing horse may catch them before the wire.  I suggest that you do not place a bet during a race if there are more than 9 harness horses in the field.

On the otherhand, a good come from behind harness horse from a bad post position may find other fast finishers in a better position than he is in when he starts to make his move.  That harness horse may not be able to make up enough ground on his rivals to win.

Finally, do not forget that a harness horse who raced either spectacularly or poorly from a bad post position in the past may have a better chance of winning from an inside starting slot. 

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