Saturday\'s first race at Belmont is typical of the kind of race we, as handicappers are often confronted with. Older horses with both ability and infirmities.
My question is, would it possible sometime, for Thorograph to take a race such as this one and break it down as you do the ROTW? The ROTW is great and I look forward to the analysis. But rarely if ever does it deal with the kind of cycles presented in today\'s first race, a race in which horses are either cycling back to their old tops or just plain out of gas.
Let me say first that we use the Rotw as a marketing tool as you realize. For newcomers we\'re trying to reach, stakes races hold more appeal, and the sheet concepts apply to a much greater degree.
In this race as you\'ve described there are lots of horses that have ability but are older now and suffer from the aches and pains of racing and may be undergoing veterinary ministrations of which we know not. So, in these types of races randomness assumes a major role which makes it much more difficult to discuss development and form cycles in a traditional sense.
Claiming races are very hard to handicap,Like Jerry said there are to many problems with many of these HORSES. The VET knows the most he makes the most money and pretty much does everything but train the horse. Stick to allowance races and Stakes the horses are some what sounder then the rest.