Understanding a Horses Past Performances

What are past performance lines?Every time a horse race takes place in North America a plethora of statistical data is gathered regarding both the race and the performance of each horse in that race. This data is stored in a database, which is then used to produce past performances (historical racing records) for each horse when they race again. Past performances for every horse in every race are printed in the racing form or racing program up to 48 hours before post time.

An excellent understanding of a horse's overall ability, class, speed, running style, track preference and connections may be gained from its past performances - which include just about everything you need to know about a horse's racing career for up to 12 of its most recent races - if the horse has started that many times.

When handicapping a race, the past performances for each horse must be analyzed and compared to each other in order to separate the contenders from the non-contenders - and ultimately to pick the winner of the race.

The past performances can be divided into three major sections including upper, middle, and lower. Each area of the past performances has its own specific sets of data, some of which are useful for handicapping and some of which are not.

Understanding the Upper Section of the Past Performances

The upper section of the past performance record for each horse includes horse number and name, color of silks, jockey with current meeting and current year stats, horse color, sex and age, sire (father), dam (mother), purchase information, sire's sire, dam's sire, stud fee, breeder and trainer, medication and weight for today's race, medication and/or blinker changes, lifetime racing record, current and previous year's racing record, lifetime wet track racing record, lifetime dirt/fast track racing record, lifetime distance/surface racing record, lifetime turf racing record, lifetime racing record over today track and surface, Tomlinson Wet Track Rating, Tomlinson Turf Rating and best Beyer Speed Figure for each racing record category.

The Upper Left Section of the past performances contains from top to bottom:

Betting Number and Horse Name - The number you will use to place a bet on the horse in today's race and the official name of the horse as given by The Jockey Club. The number will also appear clipped to the horse's bridle (head number) and on its saddlecloth during the race. If the horse was bred outside of North America an abbreviated country name will also be included at the end of the horse's name in brackets. An example would be (Ire) for an Irish-bred horse.

Owner (s) - The owner(s) of the horse listed in order of last name first.

Silks - The color and description of the horse owner's silks, which will be worn by the jockey in today's race. All horses owned by the same owner will normally wear the same silks. Knowing the color and description of the silks will help you spot your horse during the running of the race.

Jockey Name with Current Meet Record and Current Year Record - The jockey's last name and first two initials are listed along with the jockey's starts, wins, seconds, thirds and win percentage for the current meeting, as well as the jockey's overall starts, wins and win percentage for the year.

The Upper Middle Section of the past performances contains from top to bottom:

Color - The abbreviated color of the horse, which will be for one of bay, black, chestnut, dark bay or brown, gray, roan or white.

Sex - An abbreviation of the sex of the horse. Common abbreviations include "c" for colt, "f" for filly, "g" for gelding, "H" for a male horse five-years-old and up, and "M" for a female horse five-years-old and up.

Age - The age of the horse. A thoroughbred is considered one year older on January 1 of each year. Also, for 2 and 3-year-olds, the month of birth is listed after the age.

Purchase Information - If the horse was sold at auction an abbreviation of the sale name, month and year, as well as the purchase price will be listed.

Sire (Sire's Sire) - The father of the horse along with the father's father (grandsire) in brackets.

Dam (Dam's Sire) - The mother of the horse along with the mother's father (broodmare sire) in brackets.

Stud Fee - If there is a Stud Fee to breed to the father of the horse, it will be listed.

Breeder, State or Province - The name of the individual or farm that bred the horse along with the state or province the horse was foaled in.

Trainer Name with Current Meet Record and Current Year Record - The trainer's last name, first name and/or initials are listed along with the trainer's starts, wins, seconds, thirds and win percentage for the current meeting, as well as the trainer's overall starts, wins and win percentage for the current year.

The Upper Right Section of the past performances contains from top to bottom:

Note - Medication and weight appear just left of the racing record statistics.

Medication - "L" stands for the diuretic Lasix and "B" stands for the analgesic Butazolidin. If the L appears in reverse type it means the horse is racing on Lasix for the first time - which can be a valuable handicapping angle.

Weight - The weight a horse will carry in today's race. If followed by a small number it represents a weight allowance claimed by an apprentice, who may claim 3,5,7 or 10 pounds based on limited racing experience and/or number of wins. Also depends on jurisdiction rules.

Lifetime Record - the total number of starts in a horse's career followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, lifetime earnings and lifetime best Beyer Speed Figure.

Current Year Record - the total number of starts by the horse in the current year followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, current year's earnings and current year's best Beyer Speed Figure.

Previous Year's Record - the total number of starts by the horse in the previousyear followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, previous year's earnings and previous year's best Beyer Speed Figure.

Track/Surface Record - the total number of career starts by the horse over today's track and surface followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, lifetime earnings and best Beyer Speed Figure over today's track/surface.

Dirt Fast Track Record - the total number of career starts by the horse over a fast dirt track surface followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, lifetime earnings and best Beyer Speed Figure over a fast dirt surface.

Wet Surface Record - the total number of career starts by the horse over a wet track surface followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, lifetime earnings and best Beyer Speed Figure over a wet surface.

Tomlinson Wet Track Rating - Appears in the wet track record. If this rating is over 320 the horse should be given extra consideration when racing over a wet track. Based on the racing records of the offspring of the sire. If the rating is followed by an asterisk it means the number was calculated from a limited number of offspring. This number is often most useful when a horse is trying a wet surface for the first few times in its career.

Turf Record - the total number of starts in a horse's career starts on the turf followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, lifetime earnings and lifetime best Beyer Speed Figure on the turf.

Tomlinson Turf Rating - Appears next to the turf record. If this rating is over 280 the horse should be given extra consideration when racing over the turf. Based on the racing records of the offspring of the sire. If the rating is followed by an asterisk it means the number was calculated from a limited number of offspring. This number is often most useful when a horse is trying the turf for the first few times in its career.

Distance/Surface Record - the total number of career starts by the horse at today's distance and surface followed by the number of wins, seconds and thirds, lifetime earnings and best Beyer Speed Figure over today's distance and surface.