Xpressbet.com & Horseplayer.com's Jeremy Plonk has been using the Betmix online handicapping database to investigate some common handicapping myths. Read & click below for his discoveries in March.
Older Horses on the Comeback Trail
Stars Monomoy Girl and Got Stormy returned victorious from Breeders’ Cup layoffs (112-113 days) this past weekend at age 6. Were they notable exceptions to the long-prescribed theory that it takes older horses more time to race back into shape than younger ones?
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Miss the Wedding, Attend the Funeral?
This point of interest comes up this week as we just witnessed longshot winners of the Gotham (Weyburn) and Tampa Bay Derby (Helium) on Saturday, and we’ll have to decide what to do with them next time on the Triple Crown trail.
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Short Field, Big Price
When posed with small field sizes, you’ll often hear TV commentators and handicappers utter the phrase “small field, big price.” They’ll back it up many times with how the race dynamics of a small field lend themselves unpredictable pace scenarios and more traffic than you’d expect. The cat-and-mouse games are supposed to create some sense of chaos and not lean to the obvious.
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Best Jockeys on the Best Horses
But if all things were equal, how much does the jockey matter? I wanted to find out if the success of the jockey could actually help the success of the horse, and if so, by how much. By looking at race favorites, those horses projected to be best in every race, we can gauge the rider’s impact.
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Are Classier Horses More Likely to Repeat Wins?
Most horseplayers say that that the lower-class horses are least-trustworthy when it comes to maintaining their winning form race after race. Is that true? And are the highest-class horses like Greatest Honour the most trusted to repeat victories? Let’s find out.
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