Many people think they know what happens in a horse race. They think that the jockeys ride the horses and steer them with the reins guiding them into the position they want to be in and making the horse go as fast as it will. Horses are not machines, however, and the art of race riding requires the ability to communicate with the horse and to work with what it has to give.
First of all, a one hundred pound man who is perched in the stirrups by his toes cannot effortlessly rein a horse that is headstrong or distracted. Most horses are not only in tune with the rider, but they are also running against each other and thinking about the other horses. Most are competitive and want to run in a certain position in the herd.
If the jockey doesn’t want the runner at the front of the herd and that datos carreras americanas hoy is where the horse wants to be; there is going to be a struggle between horse and rider. Some horses are more cooperative than others and will allow the rider to guide them. When you watch a race notice how easily a horse allows the rider to rein it and which of the horses seems to be fighting the bit and rider.
You will often hear jockeys and handicappers talk about horses settling in a race. That means the horse gets into its favored racing position and strides along as effortlessly as possible. Horses that can’t settle because they are fighting the jockey or trying to maintain a position that requires them to go beyond their natural pace ability expend extra energy and often don’t finish well.
When you handicap a horse race look at each runner’s running style and determine how it will race against the other horses. If it prefers the front and there are several others that will be vying for that spot, will it settle in behind them or has it shown that if it doesn’t get to lead the herd it will quit? Overall, after watching thousands of races, I’d say the most useful horses are those that settle off the pace and follow the leaders waiting for their chance to strike, but that is just a generalization and doesn’t apply to every race.
Younger horses often race greenly. They race a fast as they can as far as they can. Front runners are often the best bets in maiden sprints. When those horses have had more races, however, some will develop into manageable runners that will let the jockey guide them to the best position according to the reins man’s judgment.