Plagarized but good if not rare.
SPUR OF THE MOMENT: Horses Shipping In To Win One Race At End of Meeting
Pay close attention when a trainer ships a horse in for one race in the final days of a race meet.
With the final week of racing at Keeneland already upon us (closing day April 29), here's an immediately usable angle that serves for the end of “prestige” meets like Keeneland, Saratoga and Del Mar. As a key race meet draws to a close, it is natural to see horses stabled at the track ship off to the next locale as soon as their final start of the meet concludes. What is unusual - and worth noticing - is when a horse ships in when everyone else is heading out of town. When a meet is winding down and a trainer sends the horse in for one chance at a purse, take notice!
There is an easy way to tell if a horse is shipping in and hasn't just been stabled at the meet without racing: Check the workout lines in the past performances to see if workouts leading up to today's start were conducted at another race venue.
To play this angle, the horse does not have to be shipped in for a feature or stakes race. In fact, it often is a more-interesting sight to see an allowance, claiming or maiden runner ship in for one start. Horses often will ship in because they are traveling with a high-profile stablemate (the “other horse in the trailer” angle). Other horses are sent in with one specific purpose: Grab a purse and get back out of town. With the meet ending and no chance for a second race over the course, it is clear that this type of horse is taking his or her best shot.
For instance, when a trainer ships a $10,000 claimer into a track like Keeneland at the end of a meet, the horse is being shipped for just one start. In other words, the connections are going out of their way to go after one purse. The purse for a $10,000 claiming race at Keeneland is a generous $17,000, so shipping connections likely are confident that the extra cost and hassle of hitting the road in for a single try are outweighed by a pretty good chance of getting to the winner's circle.
This angle can be used not only for the end of top-class meets, but also for the feature weeks ahead at the Triple Crown venues, starting with Churchill Downs. Each leg of the Triple Crown includes a veritable week-long stakes festival, where even the undercard races will offer premium purses. Top connections will ship in horses to try to win during a high-profile time. Although in these cases, the meets are not drawing to a close, the quality of racing and the kinds of horses shipping in change noticeably after the marquee event. Treat these weeks like a one-week premier meet within the normal race season at the track.
Requirements To Play Shippers At a Meets' End:
- Horse has not been stabled at the track and ships in for a start in the meet's final week of racing.
- Horse can be shipping along with a high-profile stablemate, and this is acceptable.
- If the horse appears to be shipping alone - or with a stablemate that is not high-profile - consider this to be an added-plus. The trainer is not simply filling up the trailer, and probably has big intentions with this particular runner.
SPUR OF THE MOMENT: Horses Shipping In To Win One Race At End of Meeting
Pay close attention when a trainer ships a horse in for one race in the final days of a race meet.
With the final week of racing at Keeneland already upon us (closing day April 29), here's an immediately usable angle that serves for the end of “prestige” meets like Keeneland, Saratoga and Del Mar. As a key race meet draws to a close, it is natural to see horses stabled at the track ship off to the next locale as soon as their final start of the meet concludes. What is unusual - and worth noticing - is when a horse ships in when everyone else is heading out of town. When a meet is winding down and a trainer sends the horse in for one chance at a purse, take notice!
There is an easy way to tell if a horse is shipping in and hasn't just been stabled at the meet without racing: Check the workout lines in the past performances to see if workouts leading up to today's start were conducted at another race venue.
To play this angle, the horse does not have to be shipped in for a feature or stakes race. In fact, it often is a more-interesting sight to see an allowance, claiming or maiden runner ship in for one start. Horses often will ship in because they are traveling with a high-profile stablemate (the “other horse in the trailer” angle). Other horses are sent in with one specific purpose: Grab a purse and get back out of town. With the meet ending and no chance for a second race over the course, it is clear that this type of horse is taking his or her best shot.
For instance, when a trainer ships a $10,000 claimer into a track like Keeneland at the end of a meet, the horse is being shipped for just one start. In other words, the connections are going out of their way to go after one purse. The purse for a $10,000 claiming race at Keeneland is a generous $17,000, so shipping connections likely are confident that the extra cost and hassle of hitting the road in for a single try are outweighed by a pretty good chance of getting to the winner's circle.
This angle can be used not only for the end of top-class meets, but also for the feature weeks ahead at the Triple Crown venues, starting with Churchill Downs. Each leg of the Triple Crown includes a veritable week-long stakes festival, where even the undercard races will offer premium purses. Top connections will ship in horses to try to win during a high-profile time. Although in these cases, the meets are not drawing to a close, the quality of racing and the kinds of horses shipping in change noticeably after the marquee event. Treat these weeks like a one-week premier meet within the normal race season at the track.
Requirements To Play Shippers At a Meets' End:
- Horse has not been stabled at the track and ships in for a start in the meet's final week of racing.
- Horse can be shipping along with a high-profile stablemate, and this is acceptable.
- If the horse appears to be shipping alone - or with a stablemate that is not high-profile - consider this to be an added-plus. The trainer is not simply filling up the trailer, and probably has big intentions with this particular runner.
