Page 47 - September 2016

by John Moorehouse
It could be called a science, given the some- times massive amounts of data that are consulted. It also has been called an art. Either
way, handicapping race horses—and Quarter Horse starters in particular—is a task that has very little margin for error.
Handicapping refers to the amount of weight, or impost, that is assigned to each horse by the racing secretary at a given track. The extra weight is added to the saddle in lead pads, which are saddle pads with pockets.
“You don’t want any errors,” said Jim Collins, racing secretary at The Downs in Albuquerque. “You want to make sure there’s not, because you’re really dealing with a lot of money.”
The impost is used to provide a more level field of competition for each race on a card. A horse assigned more weight has to work harder to cover the same amount of distance. The bet- ter and faster the horse, the heavier the amount of weight.
A wide variety of factors can help determine the weight assignments for a given race, but according to Collins, a select few factors always are part of the process.
First up, the past earnings of a horse. This is considered the best determinant of a horse’s ability. “You could have a horse that won three in a row in allowances and another that fin- ished second in a $100,000 or $200,000 race,” Collins explained. “It all fits in the formula.”
The next major factor? The class of a horse, or, the level of competition he or she has faced. Specifically, how many stakes races might a horse have on that list of past performances? Stakes races are given more weight—no pun intended—than other types of events such as an allowance, a claiming or a maiden race.
The other horses in past fields also come into play. How good are the competitors
in previous events? A lot of metaphorical digging is involved. The bigger the race, the more digging.
“It’s an art, but the mind’s involved and
if you have a $250,000 race going 440, we’re going to really sit with that one,” Collins said. “Our general manager and director of racing probably will be involved. We’ll all sit down and throw in the mix, we’ll all make our choices ... make sure it’s fair for the right horses to get in.”
Handicapping Quarter Horses is differ-
ent than Thoroughbreds, for several reasons. Most significantly, according to Collins, is that Quarter Horse jockeys tend to be a little bit bigger and heavier than their Thoroughbred counterparts.
“We usually start at about 124 pounds,” he said, “and just work our way down, almost on the scale. If there are ten in there, we’ll number them one through ten and we’ll lay the weights in.”
The process of handicapping Quarter Horses also can be more of a challenge because of the wider divergence in results. “Perfect example—let’s say you’ve got a Quarter Horse that wins by a length,” Collins theorized. “He beats a horse by a length and next time maybe another horse wins by a neck.”
Then other factors come into play. Where was the race held? Was it raining? What were the track conditions? Was the horse bumped at the start or did he/she encounter gate problems?
“There are 10 different things you might be able to come up with on whether a horse is in or out,” Collins said. “Maybe a horse stumbles leaving. Then, you’ve got to throw out that race or go back to the race before.”
Being consistent is key. Collins said that he typically starts assigning weights at 124 and 125 pounds, but rarely wants to assign weights under 120 pounds. The rules change a bit for distance races (870 yards and up), in which the top-flight competitors may start a little heavier at 126 pounds.
For Collins, making it a collaborative effort helps. He said he relies heavily on the assis- tant racing secretary at Albuquerque, Gordon Graham, who’s been working at the track for more than 40 years.
“I’ll write down my horses, what they should be, one through 15,” Collins said. “He’ll do the same thing and then we’ll discuss it.
“We really try to go back and forth on the ones we believe should be in. If we get
to a crossroad, equal terms on horses, that’s when we weigh them the same and then they can draw in.”
Advances in technology have made the handicapping process easier because of the greater access to footage from other tracks. In the end, though, the human element always will be vital to this process.
The Downs in Albuquerque racing secretary Jim Collins
SPEEDHORSE, September 2016 45