How To Use Today's Racing Digest Products

Track Profile 101 — How to Use Today’s Racing Digest Track Profiles to Find Winners

A Complete Tutorial Based on the 9-8-25 Educational Video by Jared Horack

In this horse racing handicapping video recorded on 9-8-25, Jared Horack explains exactly how to use Today’s Racing Digest’s Track Profile to identify profitable running styles and find the horses most likely to win at specific distances. All examples in the video use Complete Digest race sheets from today’sracingdigest.com.

The Track Profile, found inside the Race Header in the Complete Digest, tells you which running styles are winning at each distance on that track—front-runners, pressers, mid-pack types, or deep closers.

For Jared, the Track Profile is one of the most important handicapping tools in the Digest, because understanding how a track actually plays—rather than how it should play—translates directly to stronger bets, better trip expectations, and more consistent returns.

This article expands on Jared’s tutorial and walks you through each example race used in the video.

Aqueduct Race 1 results: 1st – Collect the Data, 2nd – Midtown Lights, 3rd – Embraceable Gal, 4th – Fast and Frisky, 5th – Monetary Monarch, 6th – Ah Ca Ira, 7th – Mitole’s Girl.

Aqueduct Race 4 results: 1st – Weigh the Risks, 2nd – Patricia Ann, 3rd – Scalable, 4th – Nic’s Style, 5th – St. Benedicts Prep, 6th – Taliesin, 7th – Volleyballprincess.

Aqueduct Race 5 results: 1st – Belarosa, 2nd – Fraudster, 3rd – Channelview, 4th – Chatelot, 5th – Three Sixty, 6th – Take Home Gold, 7th – Brockcasso, 8th – Give Your Best, 9th – South Philly Slide, Super Dreamy (did not finish), Sweet Rhythm (did not finish).

What the Track Profile Tells You

The Track Profile is located in the upper portion of the Race Header. It shows:

  • Number of races sampled at this distance
  • Win percentages by running style:
    • F = Front Runner
    • P = Presser
    • M = Mid-Pack
    • R = Rear/Closer

This is powerful because it lets you answer the most important question in handicapping:

What kind of horse typically wins this race at this distance on this track?

If front-runners are winning 60–70% of the time going a mile at Aqueduct, you simply must factor that into your handicapping.

Jared’s examples from November 8th at Aqueduct make this crystal clear.

Example 1 — Aqueduct Race 1 (1 Mile, Dirt)

Track Profile: Over 80% of winners were Front Runners or Pressers

  • 22 races sampled
  • Front Runners winning 59.1%
  • Pressers winning 22.7%
  • Mid-Pack: 9.1%
  • Rear Runners: 9.1%

This distance at Aqueduct is overwhelmingly speed-favoring. Jared immediately focused on horses with “F” or “P” running styles in the Race Header (Column 7: PER).

Horses of Interest:

  • #3 Midtown Lights (F) — improving pace ratings: 156 → 125 → 94 → 104 → 107 → 119
  • Collected Data (X) — improving 134 → 140 pace figures + rising Final Times
  • Monterey Monarch (F) — pace figures not competitive despite right style

Result:

  • Collected Data (the heavy favorite) → WINNER
  • Midtown Lights → 2nd at 7-1

The $2 Exacta returned $11.56, and the Track Profile pointed directly to these two as the most likely pace players.

Example 2 — Race 4: Pumpkin Pie Stakes (7 Furlongs, Dirt)

Track Profile: Early Speed Dominates

  • 13 races
  • Front Runners: 69.2%
  • Pressers: 15.4%
  • Mid-Pack: 15.4%
  • Rear: 0%

This extended sprint from the chute strongly favors outside-draw speed horses—something Jared emphasizes often.

Horses of Interest:

  • Weigh the Risks (F) — outside post + solid pace figures (155, 147)
  • Patricia Anne (P) — 161 pace + 141 final time
  • Talison — pace figures OK, but questionable PARX shipper form

Result:

  • Weigh the Risks → WINNER (favored from outer post)
  • Patricia Anne → 2nd at 6-1

The $2 Exacta returned $16.98, and the Track Profile predicted the exact trip shapes.

Example 3 — Race 5: 6 Furlongs, Turf (Maiden Special Weight)

Track Profile: Forward Horses Win 82%+ of the Time

  • 17 races at the distance
  • Front Runners: 70.6%
  • Pressers: 11.8%
  • Mid-Pack: 11.8%
  • Rear: 5.9%

Another clear example: closers simply don’t win turf sprints here.

Horses of Interest:

  • Bellarosa (P) — improving pace ratings: 119 → 134 → 138
  • Final Time Ratings: 39 → 110 → 114
  • Fraudster — turn-back angle with rising pace figs: 105 → 123 → 131

Result:

  • Bellarosa (4-1) → WINNER
  • Fraudster (6-1) → 2nd

The exacta returned $58.80, and again the Track Profile made the angles obvious.

Why the Track Profile Works

The Track Profile helps you avoid common mistakes:

  • Playing closers in distances where they win 5% or less of the time
  • Overrating a horse with great PPs but the wrong running style
  • Ignoring outside-post sprinters with tactical speed
  • Betting horses that need perfect pace setups in races where the profile shows early speed dominates

And it helps you identify:

  • Vulnerable favorites
  • Value pressers and forward runners
  • Layoff horses with speed who can steal the race
  • Dark-horse pace players who fit the track setup

The Track Profile is one of Jared’s most trusted tools because it reflects what the track is actually doing—not what we wish it were doing.

Use the Track Profile in the Complete Digest

Today’s Racing Digest’s Complete Digest includes:

  • Track Profile
  • Premium Race Sheets
  • Quick Picks
  • Fractional Charting
  • Fast Figs
  • Consensus
  • Post Position Winners By Size of Field
  • Track Variants

Final Thoughts

If you ignore the Track Profile, you are essentially handicapping blind.

If you use it properly—as Jared demonstrates—your bets become sharper, your contender lists get tighter, and your ROI improves over time. It’s not a magic trick; it’s simply playing the realities of the racetrack.