How To Use Today's Racing Digest Products
Learn About Digest Race Sheets
The Digest Race Sheets Core Features
Whether you're new to horse racing or looking for a better way to handicap the races, we guarantee that once you start using these 6 easy simple handicapping strategies you will quickly find yourself winning more frequently with higher payouts or we'll give you your money back.
Handicap Running Styles Like a Pro
Often times one particular running style will do better in one type of race versus another.
Track Profile
The Digest Race Sheet's Track Profile, tells you which running styles have been winning at today's race distance and surface. You'll get the number of races included in the study and percentage of times each running style has won. (F=frontrunner, P=pressers, M=midpackers, R=late runners)
Performance Early in the Race (PER)
Our team of expert handicappers evaluates each horse's expected performance in today's race and designates the type of running style they expect each horse to run in the PER column in the Race Sheet Header.
(F=frontrunner, P=pressers, M=midpackers, R=late runners)
How To Use
Compare the track profile with the running style of each horse. Those horses with running styles that do exceptionally well or poorly, relative to the other running styles in the race, should be noted.
In races where there are multiple horses with the most favorable running styles in the race should consider what the probable pace shape of the race might be. Too many front runners and there could be a multi horse speed dual opening up the stretch for a strong midpacker or late runner. If there are too many late runners entered with a front runner who has a strong late kick and that front runner could go wire-to-wire.
Check the Closer section in the Race Appraisal or the Last Fraction in the horse's Data Lines to determine which horses have a strong late kick.
Expert Analysis About Which Horses Can Win and Why
Race Appraisal
In each of the Premium and Enhanced Race Sheets Today’s Racing Digest’s experienced staff of handicappers, researchers, and statisticians analyzes all the pertinent information and incorporates relevant facts into the analysis. They then provide in-depth analysis of the race along with their possible endorsements. They typically emphasize pace and class while highlighting contenders and top plays.
Closers
Determining which horse’s finish the fastest down the stretch can make all the difference between cashing a ticket and a story about the ticket you almost cashed. With the Digest’s proprietary data you'll get the fastest in the stretch in recent races.
Horse Comments
Get inside information about each horse and how that may effect their chances in today’s race. (Premium Race Sheets only)
Handicap Changes in Class With Ease
Race Level
The number that relates to today’s race conditions and should be compared with the other class based ratings in the race sheets to determine a horse’s ability to compete in today’s race class level. The higher the number the more difficult the race. (five points equals one class level)
Recent Race Level (RRL)
The Race level of the horse’s last race. Compare this number to the Race level in the Race Header to quickly determine whether the horse is up or down in class. (found in column 3 in the race sheet header)
Recent Competition Level (RCL)
The Race Level the horse has recently been competitive (finished 5th or better and within 5 lengths of the winner) within the last 90 days. An “x” in this column indicates a horse hasn’t been competitive at any level recently. (found in column 4 of the race sheet header)
Highest Proven Class Level (PAST CLAS)
The highest Race Level which the horse has been effective previously (2-year-old races are not considered) This let’s you know how classy a horse once was. (found in column 13 of the race sheet header)
Race Competition Level (RCL in Horse's PP's)
The Race Level for each of the horse's past performances. (found in the data lines for each horse in the RCL column)
How to Use
While there are many ways you can use this information to help narrow the field of contenders, the easiest is simply compare the Race Level of today's race with each horse's best and previous Race Levels to determine if they are a good fit for today's race and how competitive each horse has been at this or a different race level.
Easy to Use Expert Inside Information
Favorites
Certain races produce more upsets than others and the Favorites feature will let you know by giving you the percentages for winning favorites and favorites in the money under today's race conditions.
Expected Final Race Equation (FIRE)
Our staff of expert handicappers gives you the FIRE number they expect each horse to earn in today's race. Unlike other speed figures which only take into account a horse’s final time, the Fire Number is based on a horse’s speed throughout the race, taking into account each and every time recorded by the horse during the running of the race.
(PAR = 100, 2 points = one length)
Expected Comprehensive Performance Rating (CPR)
Our staff of expert handicappers gives you the CPR they expect each horse to earn in today's race. The CPR is especially powerful given that it is more then just a final speed rating which only tells you how fast a horse ran in it’s last race. The CPR is based on pace, final time and closing fraction. It is then modified by the track variant (place and track speed) and may be adjusted for an ‘unusual’ pace. The CPR, with its pace component built in, tends to favor horses with a good mix of speed and stamina.
Handicapping Factors
With so much information to consider when handicapping a horse race the Digest has developed a short hand system called Handicapping Factors (HF for short) to convey numerous handicapping angles, variables, and factors in a short amount of space.
Look for the:
HF 2 – Live Horse: The strongest of Digest picks. Should win!
HF 15 – Strong pick: Most everything looks optimal for a winning run.
HF 15a – Mild pick: The horse should run well. At the very least an in-the-money performance is expected.
HF 20 – Longshot: This horse may run well at nice odds.
See the full list of Handicapping Factors
Paper Race Winners
Check your pace scenarios with the top finishers according to the Fractional Charting.
Expected Race Times
ET (Expected Times): times at each point of call expected from today's field based on previous performances.
AT (Average Times): times based on mid-level horses run at today's distance and surface.
AFTL (Average For The Level) "Par Times" for today's class of runners
Connections
The Race Sheets give you insightful information about the trainers, jockey's, and horse's records and how it relates to today's race conditions. With this information you can now easily narrow the field down to only those horses and racing teams that pose a threat in today's race.
Jockey/Trainer Combinations
Top jockeys tend to get to ride the top horses and oftentimes when a trainer is serious about his horse’s chances, he’ll employ one of his favorite riders.
The horse’s trainer and today’s rider are listed, along with their record (starts, wins, 2nds, 3rds) when teaming up over the past three months. The more wins a trainer and jockey show together, the better – it’s as simple as that.
Trainer Statistics
Get an advantage from the rest of the betting public by knowing the trainers win, place, show record in the last 15 starts along with how that trainer does in today's race conditions and any condition moves they are making in today's race. (i.e., going from dirt to turf (D/T), route to sprint (R/S, etc).
Age/Breeding
Breeding does play a big part in horse racing and horse’s sired by champions tend to perform better than those sired by lesser horses. The race sheets tell you the win record of each of the horses' sire's offspring so you can quickly identify horse’s that may have an edge when it comes to breeding.
Trouble Notes
The Digest lists this in abbreviated fashion any trouble the horse has encountered in a race and when.
Course Records
For the most part horse’s prefer a particular track distance or surface. To help you uncover if a horse has performed well in today’s race conditions the race sheets show both how the horse has done on today’s surface at today’s track and at today’s distance and surface as a whole. The record are listed as starts, wins, 2nds and 3rds.
Recent Works
Workouts are an important part of ensuring a horse is in form and ready to race. Recent workouts are shown in the horse data section of the race sheets. The information includes the track, the date, the time of the work, the condition of the surface and how the work ranked relative to other times recorded that day.
Projected Past Performances
Past Performances
Up to the last 6 past performances will be shown for each horse. Unlike other handicapping past performance products Today's Racing Digest pp's are projections of how the horse would perform in today's race conditions if they replicated that past performance. This makes it easy to compare a horses past performance with previous past performances or the rest of the field.
Key Race Winners
Historically some races with similar conditions will be more competitive than others. If a lot of horse’s went on to win their next race and this horse may have ran 4th in that race this horse may still be a contender since it was such a competitive race with a number of winning horses.
The Key Race Winner tells you how many horses returned from the particular race to win their next starts. Theoretically, the higher the number, the stronger that particular race.
Race Class Level (RCL)
The Race Level of the past performance which can be compared to today's race level to determine how much of a jump a horse is making up or down in today's race.
Finish Beaten Lengths (FIN POS/BTN LNGH)
The first number is position the horse finished the race, followed by how many lengths he was beaten (or won by if the first number is a “1”) crossing the wire.
Projected Past Performances
The first number is the horse’s position at each call followed by his time at those calls (these are not the leaders times, they are this horse’s particular times for the race). All times are adjusted to today’s distance and surface, taking into account differences in track pars and variants (routes are adjusted to route and sprints to sprints, but not routes to sprints or vice versa). This allows for easy comparison among different distances and between tracks.
The beaten lengths shown in the data lines have been converted to decimal to help make them more understandable. Here are our equivalents: Nose = .05, Head = .10, Neck – .25, 1/2 length = .50, 3/4 length = .75.
Pace Rating (PAC RAT)
A rating that shows you the expected pace of the race early for each past performance. A comparison of this figure with the rest of the field's PAC RAT can give you a better idea of the potential shape of the race.
Final Time Rating (FNL RAT)
Get a better idea of the potential late pace of the race by seeing which horses can finish strong or might have a big closing kick. This figure measures of a horse’s final time against our track pars, with the daily track variant factored in so you can easily compare it with other horses and past performances.
Using the PAC RAT in combination with the FNL RAT can give you a much clearer picture in determining which horses are in good form, may have a pace advantage, or can “go long” when moving from a sprint to a route.